Forget me Not
by KreativeKristine
Summary: Will the Planeteers still be able to fight on the side of the Earth while battling a partial memory loss?


**FORGET ME NOT**

The sunny afternoon was perfect for playing volleyball or swimming in the waters around Hope Island, but recreation plans for Linka, Gi, Kwame, Ma-ti, and Wheeler were cut short by an unexpected email from an old and trusted friend. Deciding to put off their R and R, The Planeteers boarded their geo-cruiser, intent on visiting Dr. Dawn Derek. Dr. Derek had told the young environmental activists that she had been working on research involving electronically simulated worlds. She said she was using the backup Planeteer files that she had created the last time she experimented with computer generated worlds, as electronic guinea pigs that would react to certain environmental stimuli.

"If you still have our old backup files," Linka queried as she perched herself onto one of the stools that sat along one of the lab's walls. "Then why do you need our help now?"

"Because I need to update their memories," Dr. Derek explained as she rapidly pushed the buttons on her wireless keyboard. "These simulations are at least ten years old, and I need to isolate and copy your memory engrams into files that I can save to a disk and then root them into the electronic versions of yourselves. Depending on how long and often I use them; I will need to update their memories on a regular basis."

"Wait a second," Wheeler spoke up, resisting the urge to laugh out loud at his host. "That kinda thing only happens on Star Trek. If we could really copy memories, we wouldn't have any more people with Alzheimer's or amnesia; they'd be cured in a simple out-patient operation."

"I have to tell you, Wheeler, this is an experimental procedure, and I don't know for certain if it will enhance the simulations' memories or not."

But what about us, Dr. Derek?" Gi joined in the conversation, expressing her concern for her and the other Planeteers' safety. "Is it possible that this memory replication could be harmful to us?"

"I will be using an invention I call the cranial band to scan your memory engrams and convert them to electronic format. There should be a minimal risk to you. It would be very similar to copying files in a personal computer."

"Like copying a file from a flappy disk to your hard drive?" Linka guessed.

"That's 'floppy disk'," Wheeler whispered, correcting his Russian companion.

"Exactly," Dr Derek nodded as she backed up her wheelchair to a table where she retrieved a series of CD's and brought them to the desk that held her computer tower. "In theory, I should be able to copy your engrams and download them into the simulations, giving them the same memories that you have right up to the moment of the replication procedure. I will need each of you to lie down over there," she indicated an examining table that sat on the opposite side of the room and had a metallic looking headband sitting on the pillow, "and I will hook you up to the computer and start downloading your engrams. I can't tell you how long the procedures will take, but I don't think they will be more than about a half hour each."

"Sounds like the rest of this day is shot," Wheeler mumbled as he wrung his hands and leaned against the wall.

"Will it hurt?" Ma-ti asked, feeling a little apprehensive about having his mind probed in an experiment that had never been done before.

"I don't think so, Ma-ti. You should expect disorientation or even some hallucinations throughout the process, but you shouldn't feel any pain."

"Would these hallucinations be dangerous?" Kwame wanted to know, "and how long will they last?"

"If you do experience them, they would be no different than a strange and vivid dream you would have while sleeping and they are supposed to disappear when the replication is complete."

"Might as well get it over with," Wheeler groaned, clearly not wanting to waste any more time.

"Are you volunteering to go first, Wheeler?" the scientist smiled as she approached the redhead.

"Me and my big mouth," he grumbled, dragging his feet over to the table and hopping up onto the sterile surface.

Ma-ti quietly snickered to himself, partially because Wheeler had stepped directly into this one, and also because he would get to see someone else undergo the replication process before he would have his turn.

"Serves him right," Linka whispered, joining the South American Indian in a chuckle or two.

Before he lay down on the table, Wheeler stuck his tongue out at Ma-ti and Linka, who continued to giggle at him. Dr. Derek then wheeled herself over to the Pyro-Planeteer's side and hooked him to a vital monitor. She then reached across the man's chest and began to strap him down.

"Is this really necessary?" he protested as the safety restraints were tightened around his upper body and across his ankles.

"The hallucinations may seem very real to you, and the restraints are to keep you from hurting yourself," she explained while making certain the young man was securely held down and then placing his power ring into her lab coat pocket. Once she applied the headband that Wheeler discovered was connected to the computer tower with two long cables, she patted his shoulder before backing over to her monitor. "Just relax, Wheeler. You're going to be fine. All you have to do is let the cranial band scan your engrams, and I'll copy them onto a compact disk." With that she slid a CD into her burner drive and engaged in a series of mouse clicks.

It took approximately thirty to forty-five minutes for Dr. Derek to copy and download Wheeler's memories into electronic format and store them away on the CD. There were no complications that endangered Wheeler physically, but he had verbally reacted to some images he had seen while the procedure was taking place. The outbursts ranged from early childhood words, "Maybe if I didn't get born, my daddy wouldn't get drunk all the time," to the words of a grown Planeteer vowing, "If you hurt Ma-ti, I'll knock your teeth down your throat and burn your face beyond recognition, Plunder!" When Wheeler was finally released from the constricting straps and had his ring returned to him, he, dazed from the ordeal, stumbled over to the others and slumped onto the stool on which he had previously sat, using the wall as a back support.

The next Planeteer to take part in the replication was Gi, who also shouted out in response to her own hallucinations. She could be heard begging her parents not to take her away from the beachfront and her pet dolphin, Teesa. She also engaged in some dialogue in Chinese and even giggled, indicating she may have been hearing a joke. When Linka had her turn the Planeteers heard a lot of words in Russian that they could not understand, but they did hear her calling out to her late and beloved cousin Boris. Kwame was heard yelling at invisible bad guys, ordering them to leave the trees alone. He had also bellowed, "Everybody run!", and he jerked under the restraints as though he were trying to run away from a dangerous situation. When it was finally Ma-ti's turn he was trying to settle arguments between the people in his dreams, and he had even made one or two references to Captain Planet's being hit with toxics and needing the Planeteers' help.

By the time each Planeteer had completed his or her ordeals and had their engrams downloaded onto respective CD's, Dr. Derek assured them that she would be able to transfer the data to her simulations at any time. She also promised them that the residual disorientation they were experiencing should pass with the next good night's sleep. Doubting that any of them could fly the geo-cruiser back to Hope Island in their present state of mind, they set the auto pilot and headed for home. Not wanting to even have dinner, they all retired to their huts and flopped down on top of their beds, not even bothering to change into Pj's. This ended their rather unusual day of mind probes and bizarre adventures – or so they thought!

As the night unfolded, a strange ship operated by an old enemy hovered over Hope Island and attracted the attention of an ever-alert Gaia. She ran out of her hut and into the clearing Where the Planeteers loved to eat picnic lunches.

"Zarm!" She shouted, "What are you doing here!"

"Why I do believe it's way past your bedtime, Gaia," a smooth, yet evil voice emulated from the ship just before firing a light green ray directly at the gentle spirit.

No!" Gaia cried as she felt the energy draining from her and realized she was falling into a deep sleep right there on the ground.

"Sleep well, Gaia," Zarm sneered just before heading for the Planeteers' huts. "By the time you wake up, you'll feel like a new – and mortal – woman."

Suddenly, Ma-ti woke up overwhelmed with a state of intense fear, and he felt his body shaking uncontrollably. He jumped off his bed and held his hand to his forehead, "Heart . . . Planeteers, Something is very—"Before he could finish his telepathic message to his friends, he screamed out loud. A stun ray coming from Zarm's ship had zapped the Kyapo into a state of unconsciousness

"Ma-ti!" Wheeler called as he raced out of his hut to see what had happened, "are you all right Little Buddy?" When he entered he found Ma-ti lying on the floor beside his bed. "Kwame, get in here! Ma-ti's down!"

Before the black man entered via the adjoining bathroom, another stun ray knocked Wheeler out cold as well. Kwame had no sooner dropped to the floor to check on the fallen forms when a third ray sent him down for the count.

Linka, did you hear . . . "Gi asked with a hint of panic and fear in her voice as she and her blonde comrade ran out of their huts.

"Bozhe Moy!" Linka screamed after having peered through Ma-ti's window and seeing the disturbing shadows on the floor, "the boys are—" Two more rays suddenly shot out of the sky and left the girls in a comatose state.

As soon as he was certain all five Planeteers were unconscious Zarm landed his ship just beyond the huts and carried each young adult one by one into his ship. He then took off into space, maintaining ORBIT AROUND the earth.

Nearly an hour had passed when the Planeteers began to regain consciousness and found themselves in a very uncomfortable position. Each felt a prickling needle sensation in his or her hands, and it didn't take long for them to figure out that their wrists were tied tightly behind their backs. Their feet also felt a little fuzzy, and they opened their eyes to see that their feet were tied as well. They felt gags over their mouths; and, when they tried to hop up and move apart they noticed they were all bound back to back in one large heap. Despite their efforts, they couldn't escape from their restraints. Kwame, who was sitting to Wheeler's left, glanced to him with a questioning look in his eyes. Instinctively knowing that Kwame wanted to know if he had left enough slack in the ropes to get loose, Wheeler shook his head, much to the African's chagrin. After all, he could not have taken a deep breath while he was out cold. Accepting the fact that there was nothing else they could do for the moment, the Planeteers exchanged glances and waited for someone to enter their cell.

"Did you Planet-Punks enjoy your little nappy-poos?" Zarm said in a patronizing manner as he entered and lanced evil stares at the immobile quintet. "Are we all comfy?" he snarled as he moved in too close for comfort. "I suppose you would like to know what you're doing here . . . the answer is simple. I've come to turn you back into my conquerors." Noticing Wheeler's piercing and unbelieving stares the captor grabbed the fire Planeteer's face, forcing him to look directly at him. "You don't believe me do you, Wheeler . . . . You're probably thinking that you would have no intention of wearing my iron gauntlets again. Well, I have no intention of making you wear them. You and your goody-goody pals are going to use your own rings to help me take over and annihilate the Earth."

Seething with anger toward his kidnapper and refusing to accept the fact that he would be a pawn in this horrible game to ruin his home world, Wheeler jolted back and used his fettered feet to push Zarm away. He then began to rub his face against his knees until he was able to push his gag away. "That's totally bogus, Zarm!" he shot back, ". . . and what makes you think we're going to help you destroy the Earth!"

Incensed, Zarm lept in front of Wheeler, ripped away the gag, and tied it on again even tighter than before. "Oh, you will, you little brat! All of you will!" He then reached in front of Kwame and undid the ropes that held all five youths together. After snatching the African away from his friends, the evil alien shoved him aside and tied the remaining four together again. When he attempted to drag Kwame away, Wheeler stuck out his feet hoping to hook them around the earth Planeteer and pull him back toward the other eco-activists. Unfortunately, this effort failed, and Kwame was gone.

Zarm had made up his mind that he was going to punish Wheeler for his disrespectful treatment of him by allowing him to agonize over what was happening to his friends, who were being taken from him one by one. Each young adult disappeared through a doorway with their abductor, and they did not come back, Zarm knew that Wheeler was the oldest of the group who had assumed the role of protector; so he prayed on these .emotional bonds and forced Wheeler to dread the unknown every time he saw Kwame, Gi, Ma-ti, and then Linka being dragged off.

When it was finally Wheeler's turn to be forced through that doorway, Zarm brought him into a small compartment on the ship that housed a flat metallic table and had painfully bright lights overhead. After throwing his helpless hostage onto that hard surface, Zarm speared cold stares into the Planeteer's eyes and snorted:

"You're wondering what happened to your friends aren't you . . . Let me assure you that you'll be with them again very soon . . . It's finally time you learned what I have in store for you and your little puny-teers. You said you would never help me destroy the Earth? What if you really believed that was your mission?"

Wheeler intensely shook his head, refusing to accept the possibility that he and his companions would intentionally obliterate the world they had dedicated their lives to protect.

"You still don't believe me . . . You really don't think that a group of nature nerds would be capable of doing anything like that. What if you didn't even remember you were nature nerds? The answer is quite simple. I have erased your friends' memories, and I'm going to erase yours too. Oh you'll still be able to talk, to do anything you'll need to do in order to survive; you just won't remember anything about yourselves or your personal lives. Without the memory of being wannabe superheroes defending an insignificant rock you call your planet, you should easily be convinced to do my bidding. With you on my side, your precious Gaia will become a mortal, and the Earth will be mine."

Wheeler lay on that hard table, staring up at his kidnapper with eyes that clearly reflected his apprehension. He then felt something being pressed firmly against his left temple, and a series of mild electrical shocks caused him to black out.

The next part of Zarm's Plan was to abandon his prisoners on an uninhabited island, where they would have no chance to run into anybody who could tell them who they really were and that they fought on the side of the Earth itself. Zarm hacked into geographic computer programs in search of such an island. This search seemed as though it were in vain until something very interesting appeared on the long range radar screen.

Within visual range, a small chopper was seen departing from an island that looked as though it were out of the way and nowhere close to civilization. After researching the location of this land mass, the malevolent alien learned that it was Commander Clash's home base, and that the departing chopper indicated the soldier's leaving the island. Knowing that the Planeteers would come to soon, and that his plan would not work if they were still onboard when they did, Zarm knew he had to act fast and hope that Clash would be absent for a long time. He also felt it was the ultimate stroke of genius to leave them alone so close to a military base.

After landing his ship in a jungle area, Zarm began dropping off his unwilling guests. Realizing he would have to maintain a low level orbit around the Earth and circle it one or two times before attempting to trick the Planeteers into doing his dirty work, he decided to leave them tied and gagged for now, and he carried them out one at a time. He wanted to complicate things just a little more by leaving them hidden around different locations of the island, ranging from deep in the jungle to the inside of a storage closet by the defense consol.

Now abandoned in a strange place with no memory of their personal lives, The Planeteers began to wake up relative to their having their induced amnesia. Kwame, who had awoken in the jungle, struggled for freedom and realized he could not squirm loose from his bonds. He soon located a sharp rock and began to kick it in order to determine if it could be used to cut the ropes from his wrists. The rock sat firmly in place, and the black man worked to sever them. When he had shed them and risen to his feet he realized he had no idea where he was, nor did he know _who _he was.

Concluding that there was nothing he could do until he found another human being that could shed some light on the current situation, Kwame began walking, careful to observe his surroundings and hopefully find evidence of other people's being nearby.

Suddenly, a female voice could be heard in the distance calling, "Someone please help me!"

"Hellooooo!" Kwame yelled in the direction of the voice, "I hear you! Just keep calling, and I will find you!"

"I'm over here!" she began, ". . . I can't walk . . . I woke up, and someone tied me up! I don't know what happened! I need help!"

"I am coming!" Kwame then became aware that this girl might be able to give him some information that would fill the void he was experiencing. "Tell me! Do you know who tied you up?"

"No! I can't remember anything! I don't know how I got here . . . I don't even know who I am!"

"It is all right! I will help you!"

Kwame realized he was able to zero in on the voice, and he gave chase. He had emerged out of the wooded area and found himself on beach front property. It was there that he Discovered Gi lying in the sand near the ocean. She had been able to nudge her gag away from her mouth, and she had been wallowing in the sand, unable to get herself loose. "Oh, am I glad to see you," she sighed as Kwame stooped down to undo the ropes.

Noticing that the Asian girl was staring at him with questioning eyes, Kwame asked, "Tell me, do we know each other?"

"Are you saying you don't recognize me?"

"Recognize you? I do not even recognize myself."

". . . Both of us . . . no memory of who we are and what happened to us? Something's definitely wrong."

"I saw footprints while I was running. Someone else must be here; and maybe they can clear this whole thing up."

"I noticed them too. That's how I knew to call out," Gi observed, coming to her feet with Kwame's help. "We'd better look for them."

As Kwame and Gi set out to find the maker of the footprints, Ma-ti had awoken in a shallow cave and labored to break his restraints by rubbing his wrists against the cave's rough wall. By the time he was free, Ma-ti not only had rope burns to contend with, he had stinging scrapes allover his hands and lower arms. Acting on a strong urge to search for someone else, anyone else, who might be able to tell him how he ended up in that cave, he clumsily rose to his feet and ran in the direction of some footprints he observed in the sand. It only took around ten minutes for him to approach a compound and to find another bound and gagged body lying in front of it.

When Ma-ti dropped to the side of the fallen female, he noticed she was out cold, and he began to remove her bonds. Once she was loose, the Kyapo sat next to her and kept a watchful eye on her in case she was to wake up.

Linka opened her eyes and focused on the South American who stared down at her with the eyes of a concerned companion.

"What is happening?" she quietly inquired, sliding into an upright position. "Do I know you?"

"I do not think so," Ma-ti gently answered. "I have never seen you before."

"Who are you?"

Suddenly smacked between the eyes with a perturbed feeling, Ma-ti felt his cheeks grow hot with anxiety. "I cannot tell you . . . I do not even remember who I am. Maybe you can . . . "

Linka sadly shook her head, her gray eyes mirroring her own feelings of fear and panic. Like Ma-ti, she had no idea what was going on either. "I wish I could, stranger, but I cannot tell you what my name is or how I ended up here either."

"Is she all right?" Gi's question startled both Ma-ti and Linka, who did not hear the pair approaching them from behind.

"Are you friends of hers?" Ma-ti wanted to know, wishing these strangers could solve the mystery of everyone's identities. "If you are, you can tell us her name."

"You mean she cannot remember who she is?" Kwame leaned forward, his brown eyes widening as he realized that this memory loss was no small problem. "We too are having difficulties in remembering ourselves."

"No, neither of us can," Ma-ti sighed, slowly shaking his head from side to side.

"All four of us?" Linka gasped, "With the same memory loss . . . Something very odd is to going on around here."

"Did both of you wake up and find yourselves all tied up for no apparent reason?" Kwame inquired in hopes of finding some common denominators that would lead to a solution.

"I did not," Linka shrugged.

"You were still unconscious when I found you, and I was the one who . . . "Ma-ti indicated some coils of rope that sat on the ground.

"We noticed some footprints that seemed to be headed in this direction . . . but they look too big to have been made by any of us." Kwame pointed out, bringing up the subject that there was at lease one more person on this island.

"Someone who can tell us what's going on?" Gi guessed.

"Probably another person like us . . . same memory loss, same rope burns, same rings, same circular insignia . . . "

"He is right," Linka said as she observed some more commonalities among the amnesiacs. "Could someone have made us lose our memories on porpoise?"

"I think you mean 'on purpose'," Gi corrected the blonde's improper English. "But you do have a point. If we have something in common, and someone wanted to stop us or keep us out of the way . . . "

"Are you saying that wearing similar rings and insignia would make us a target for someone who would go so far as to capture us and rob us of our memories?" Ma-ti had grasped the gravity of the situation, which was turning out to be more and more bizarre by each passing minute.

"Maybe the answer is in there," Linka pointed out the large footprints that lead to one of the buildings in the compound. "What do we have to lose?"

"Certainly not our memories," Gi nervously said as she and her equally confused company headed into their target building.

Upon entering the large front room the four noticed the series of military computers and an Army jacket draped over the back of the desk chair that sat in front of a flat screen monitor. Hypothesizing that these sophisticated computers would not be left running unattended, Kwame called out, "Is anybody here?"

Instead of hearing a spoken answer, the Planeteers heard thumping noises coming from inside a storage closet. Ma-ti thrust the door open and found Wheeler rolling around on the floor trying in vain to free himself from the ropes that left him immobile.

"Oh no, we have another one!" Ma-ti exclaimed as he dropped to his knees and began to work the knots loose. "Can you tell me what happened to you?" he prodded, already knowing and dreading the answer the redhead would give.

"Yo, thanks, man," Wheeler said once his mouth was uncovered. "This has gotta be a bad dream."

"I am afraid this is really happening. Are you all right?"

"I will be once I get my hands on the creep who did this!" Wheeler tersely declared as he tried to get up, only to discover that Ma-ti hadn't quite finished unbinding the cord that held his feet. After muttering some four letter words, and after he was freed, he stumbled into a standing position and demanded, "Can someone tell me what's goin' on around here!"

"I am sure we would if we could," Kwame reasoned with the shake of the head, "but we do not understand what is happening ourselves."

"Do you remembering anything before you found yourself in that closet?" Linka posed her question.

Temporarily dumbstruck by Linka's pretty looks, sparkling gray eyes, and sexy Russian accent, Wheeler searched his mind for the answer he wanted to give. Finally, he returned to reality and shuffled the heel of one sneaker along the floor before saying, "No, I don't remember anything . . . not how I got there, who left me there . . . nothin'. It's like I'm a total blank."

"What about your name?" Gi added. "Can you tell us who you are?"

"No dice." The New York born Planeteer gingerly touched his wrists; examining the burns and bruising that were the result of forceful and unsuccessful attempts to gain freedom.

"You were right," Gi turned toward Ma-ti, "he's another one like us. He even has the same symbol on his shirt, and he has a ring like ours." She gestured toward Wheeler, indicating the globe insignia on his t-shirt and the ring on his index finger.

"Come again?" Wheeler leaned against the edge of the computer desk to his left.

"Look," the water Planeteer held her right hand up next to his, showing the similar jewelry. After that, she pointed out the identical emblems that were on the front of their shirts. "We think that we're all part of a group of some kind."

". . . and that our membership in this group could be the reason we were kidnapped and made to losing our memories-" Linka continued the explanation and was interrupted by a cynical redhead.

"Wait a second. Are you tellin' me that someone did this to us because of some stupid shirts and some costume jewelry? I don't buy it."

"It is the only explanation we have right now," Kwame countered, trying to get this mouthy stranger to accept the only shred of logical information they had at that moment. "If you have any other suggestions, we are open to hear them."

Speechless, Wheeler shrugged his shoulders and twisted his ring around and around on his finger, suddenly noticing the flame symbol on the red crystal. "Check it out. It looks like fire."

Out of the blue, a yellowish orange flame shot straight out of the crystal and ignited a window shade near the entrance to the building.

"Quick! We need to find an extinguisher!" Wheeler exclaimed, horrified at what he had accidentally done.

"Someone get a bucket of water!" Gi ordered, not knowing that her ring was about to produce a splash large enough to put out the flaming window treatment.

"What just happened?" Ma-ti, somewhat frightened by the episode, asked with a slight quiver in his voice.

"His ring started a fire, and hers put it out . . . "Linka pondered as she tugged on her left ear. "Let me to seeing those." Once she had the two rings in hand, she studied the symbols on them. "This one shows a flame, and this other one shows what looks like water."

"All he had to do was say 'fire', and one shot out of the ring . . . "Kwame began.

". . . and when she said 'water', a wave came out of nowhere and put out the fire," Linka picked up the postulation and eyeballed the rings before returning them to their owners.

"That is very strange," Kwame said as he looked down to notice his ring's own icon, only to find it bore a symbol he felt told him nothing. "Mine . . . is just a green crystal that shows the same insignia that is on our shirts. What can that mean?"

"I do not know . . . my ring is equally mysterious," the wind Planeteer examined her jewelry and indicated the sign she could not figure out. "Why does this only show three wavy lines? What kind of symbol is that?"

"I do not know . . . "Ma-ti studied his ring that showed the pink outline of a heart against a fuchsia crystal. Feeling the beginning of a tension headache, he placed his hand on his forehead and mumbled to himself, "Heart?" To his astonishment, he began to receive mental signals that he could not, for the life of him, understand. "It cannot be . . . I am . . . reading your thoughts and sensing your feelings . . . but how?"

"Either I'm crackin' up, or your ring started glowin' when you said 'heart'," Wheeler noticed the crystal's illumination.

"Could that ring give you the ability to read minds or even communicate telepathically?" Linka asked in hopes that they would find out not only the ring's function, but possibly a way to retrieve their memories on a subconscious level.

"Gimme a break!" Wheeler scoffed, "that kinda stuff only happens in cartoons and sci-fi."

'Someone please keep this pest quiet,' a rather annoyed Linka silently thought to herself as she shot Wheeler a dirty look.

"We must be open to even the strangest and most unbelievable explanations. Induced amnesia and rings that produce water or fire can also be considered science fiction, so we need to consider every possibility no matter how odd it sounds to us if we are to get through this," Kwame stepped forward assuming the leadership role among the confused quintet.

""This is just a little too weird for me," Wheeler sighed.

"If only we could find out some information about ourselves," Ma-ti rested his chin in his left hand. "It would be easier for us to get along and communicate with each other if we all had names."

But where do we even begin to find out our names?" Gi felt as though she was bringing up an unsolvable mystery that would prove only to frustrate everyone.

Seeing the Army jacket that hung over the desk chair back, Wheeler said, "Army guys have those dog tags . . . Maybe we have 'em too."

"You may be right," Ma-ti concurred as he observed the matching T-shirts with insignia, the rings and the room full of military computers. "From what I can see, it looks like we are part of some kind of coalition."

"The only problem is," Gi, shook her head, refuting the tag theory, "if someone erased our memories, they wouldn't want us to know who we are; and, if we were wearing dog tags, they would have stolen them."

"There must be some way to find out who we are," Kwame said as he threw his hands up in the air and allowed them to drop to his sides.

"Perhaps we can look on the computer," Linka suggested as she pulled the chair back and sat down, ready to activate the machine. Her fingers rapidly danced over the keyboard, and she apparently knew how to operate a computer despite her memory loss. "Chyort Voz'mi!" she clipped when a gray dialogue box came up, denying her access to the computer's Internet homepage for want of an authorization code. "I cannot get onto the net."

"You don't remember your name, but you can use a computer?" Wheeler had a little difficulty swallowing this reality, "How's that?"

"I do not know," Linka replied as she pulled away from the desk, "but the important thing is . . . I cannot get through, and I cannot find out who we are!" she complained loudly as she wagged her finger at the computer monitor as though it were the face of a misbehaving child.

"Planeteers," Commander Clash suddenly appeared in the doorway of the building and was quite surprised to see his old friends there, "What are you doing here?"

"What did you call us?" Wheeler queried, passing a long gaze to the muscular soldier, "Planeteers?"

Clash had no idea what to make of the fire Planeteer's question, and all he could think to say was, "Did you just ask, me what I called you?"

"You need to excuse us, Ma-ti spoke up, approaching the soldier, "We cannot remember who we are-"

"Wait," Kwame interrupted the youngest Planeteer after noticing the size of Clash's footwear and fearing that this may be the kidnapper, "his shoes . . . he may have been the one who made the footprints we saw outside."

"That means he must be the one who . . . "Gi felt her entire body tense up and begin to tremble with the trepidation that was washing over her. ". . . who ruined our memories, tied us up and . . . "

"But if he's the one who nabbed us, why would he have approached us so calmly and called us 'Planeteers'? Wheeler wanted to know.

Acting on a gut feeling, Ma-ti held his ring to his forehead and quietly said, "Heart . . . I do not sense any evil from this man . . . He is . . . concerned . . . the way one would be concerned for a friend."

"Are you saying we can trust him?" Linka asked, her cautiousness colored and shadowed her accented words.

The gravity of the situation had begun to sink in for Clash, and he found himself asking, "You really are without your memories?"

"Da, we all woke up and suddenly found we could not remember anything about ourselves. I tried to get onto the computer when we noticed the curious rings and the uniform shirts we were wearing, but I could not get connected because I did not have the right password."

"I am the only one who is authorized to use this computer," clash explained to the amnesiac eco-activists. "No civilians are allowed to use it, or it would mean a court marshal for me."

"But we need a computer that can connect to the net, so we can look up who we are and what our mission is," Linka pleaded, ardently holding onto the only apparent lead that promised to unlock the barriers that left her and the others in the dark about their identities.

After stepping over to the storage closet, clash swung the door open, reached up, and retrieved a laptop computer that he brought over to Linka. "You may work on this. It is the computer I use when writing letters to my family back home."

Thank you . . . "Linka paused when she realized that she didn't know this soldier's name.

A mental note clicked inside Clash's mind that if the Planeteers could not remember themselves, then they certainly would not remember him. "It's me . . . Commander Clash. We have known each other for a very long time, my friends."

"Thank you, commander Clash," Linka amended her sentence of gratitude before hooking up and booting the laptop.

Clash had excused himself from the front room to fix something to eat for him and his surprise guests, and while he was throwing leftovers into a meal for six, Linka gained access to the Internet.

"Let us see . . . " Linka engaged in some self talk while she typed in the Google search box, "Planeteers . . . rings . . . " Upon pressing the Enter key, she noticed several links that appeared in front of her. "According to this . . . The Planeteers . . . that is . . . _we _are five young people who travel the world, fighting pollution and striving to make the Earth cleaner." The same symbol that was on the youths' shirts appeared on the screen when Linka clicked on another link. "Here is that insignia . . . . All this says is the same thing that other article said . . . that we are an environmental clean-up coalition that battles toxic spills, destruction of trees, and cruelty to animals . . . . It also says that we educate the public of the global eco crisis and how to pollute less or cut down on their consumption . . . "

"But what about our names?" Ma-ti questioned,"Is there some kind of list that has all our names or background information on us?"

"I will check," Linka replied as she typed 'personal profiles' in the field marked 'Advanced Search". "Da! Got it . . . Planeteer manifest. It shows a picture, a name . . . and something about our rings." As the Planeteer's bios appeared on the monitor, Linka turned the laptop to an angle, so her companions could see the tiny pictures and biographical blurbs for themselves. Linka Pyatikova . . . born Tuesday, October 8, 1974 . . . ring power, wind," she read aloud.

"Gi Zang . . . born Wednesday, March 12, 1975 . . . ring power, water," Gi read as her info popped up on the screen.

When he saw his bio, Kwame read the words for the others to hear, "Kwame Shaa . . . born Sunday, September 1, 1974 . . . ring power, earth."

As soon as he saw his own excerpt, Ma-ti read, "Ma-Ti Kwevas . . . born Sunday, July 30, 1978 . . . ring power, heart."

Finally, it was Wheeler's turn to review his blurb. "Jesse Wheeler . . . born Thursday, August 16, 1973 . . . ring power, fire."

When some additional information began to scroll by on the flat screen monitor, Linka brought it to the attention of her fellow Planeteers. "Look at this . . . . It says here that when we find ourselves in a situation we cannot handle, we combine our powers to summon somebody named Captain Planet."

"Combine our powers?" Gi wanted to be clear on what she just heard Linka say.

"Da . . . according to this article, we must all aim our rings into one spot at the same time, and this Captain Planet just appears."

"Perhaps, he may know enough about us to help us reconstruct our memories or fight off the enemy that destroyed them in the first place," Kwame put in his two cents worth.

"We will not know until we try," Ma-ti said as he headed for the doorway. "We will try to call him outside, so we would not cause any damage to commander clash's compound."

Once they had stepped a short distance from the buildings, they exchanged glances, unsure how to start the summoning process.

"Did that article say exactly how we were able to call this Captain Planet?" Kwame posed his curious question to the Russian blonde.

"Nyet, we may just have to try and see what happens."

"You're the oldest, Jesse, so you probably are the one who starts the process," Gi suggested as she looked Wheeler's way.

Wheeler wrinkled his nose at the sound of someone addressing him as 'Jesse'. With or without partial amnesia, he concluded that only a select few who knew him as a baby or toddler would be allowed to get away with calling him by his first name. "I'd rather be called 'Wheeler";" he shrugged as he stepped forward to attempt to call Cap. "Let our powers combine . . . One . . . two . . . three . . . "

All at the same time, the Planeteers called out the name of their powers, only to see the green, red, white, blue, and yellow beams swirl together and form a large starburst that would make any fireworks manufacturer proud.

"What happened?" Ma-ti stared at the starburst that fluttered and dissolved into the sky.

"What didn't happen is more like it," Wheeler snapped. "We _didn't _call Captain Planet."

"Do you think we did it wrong?" Gi asked.

"If we did, the only problem is . . . we do not remember how to do it right," Linka solemnly noted.

"Do you think Commander Clash will know how we summon Captain Planet?" Ma-ti said, believing hope springs eternally.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him," Gi answered as she started toward Clash's base.

"Drat!" Zarm snapped as he peered at his long range scanner and noticed Clash's chopper sitting safely on its landing zone. "That fool Clash is back already! I shall have to get him to leave again." After hacking into nearly every military manifest in the entire world, he managed to access Clash's records and used them to find the authorization codes of his superior officer. A short measure of time had elapsed when the alien finally made his bogus communication.

Commander Clash and the amnesiac adults had just sat down on a bank near Clash's water wheel with bowls of the left-overs in their laps. Memory loss had not affected Wheeler's appetite in the least, for he had consumed his meal in half the time it took for the others to polish off their own food.

"Wheeler, do not eat so fast," Linka cautioned, "you will make yourself sick if you inhale your food like that."

While Wheeler was swallowing his current mouthful, a loud alarm emulated from within the computer center, causing everyone's hearts to skip a beat. Only Clash experienced a feeling of irritation instead of mild fright. Mumbling some colorful dialogue under his breath, he rose and turned toward the building's entrance. "I will only be a minute, Planeteers," he said before collecting his bowl – mainly to keep Wheeler from eating more than his fair share of the culinary concoction. Once he plunked into his desk chair, Clash set his bowl aside and activated his computer. "Clash here . . . "

Knowing that the soldier would recognize his voice, Zarm used a phony accent, saying, "Commander Clash, you have orders to report to Headquarters for your personnel evaluation."

Sir," Clash barked with the speech patterns of a career military man, "I believe I have already had my evaluation. I was there two weeks ago."

"You will have to come and do it all over again!" Zarm snapped. "There was a malfunction in one of our computers, and some of the evaluations were lost. Yours was one of them. As your superior officer, I am ordering you to return to Headquarters immediately!"

"Yes Sir!" Clash countered with a hint of aggravation in his voice before breaking the connection and storming outside. "I must leave you for now, Planeteers; I have orders to report for my personnel evaluation immediately. When I return, I will take you home."

"Commander Clash, wait!" Kwame called to the departing soldier, realizing that he and the others hadn't had the chance to ask him how they summon Captain Planet. Unfortunately, a hurrying and distracted clash was already out of earshot, and he didn't appear to respond to the black man's hale. "It looks as though we will have to wait until Clash returns before we can call Captain Planet."

"Oh, great," Wheeler retorted as he collected his now empty bowl and clumsily came to his feet. "And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

"There is not much we can do right now, Wheeler," Ma-ti attempted to calm his impatient and restless compadre.

Moments after the Planeteers washed their dirty dishes, they decided to take a walk in the fresh air to hopefully relieve their stress over their memory loss. The ocean crashing on the shoreline provided a tranquil sound that attracted the amnesiacs, so they stood on the beach and watched the thundering waves pour over the sand bars and broken seashells. The brisk breezes swept over everyone, kissing their faces and blowing refreshing gusts through their hair. If not for the mental voids in their heads, this moment would be absolutely perfect.

Suddenly a curious looking flying object hovered through the air and landed softly in the sand not too far from the five who were seeking solace in the waves and wind. When the UFO appeared to have come to a complete stop, a pneumatic door swished open, and Zarm, dressed in a military style uniform with a Planeteer insignia on the left side of the jacket, stately stepped out and approached the five whom he hoped to coerce into fighting on his side.

"What a relief it is to find you are all accounted for," the alien sighed, pretending to be genuinely concerned for his valued subordinates. "You disappeared from our radar screen hours ago. Now, have you succeeded in your mission? My commanding officer is demanding results."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Wheeler interrogated this visitor, taking an instant dislike to him.

"Why, I am Sergeant Zarm; my commanding officer is Captain Planet," the lying entity answered in hopes of deceiving the youths.

"BS," Wheeler whispered to himself with clinched teeth and boiling blood. There was something about this stranger that he just could not and would not accept.

Ma-ti instinctively knew that Wheeler wanted him to use his heart power on Zarm, and he searched his mind to find an excuse to use his ring. He didn't know if Zarm knew about the powers, so he felt he had to be discrete when trying his telepathy. He noticed that his right sneaker was untied, so he bent down to bind the white shoelaces. When he rose, he faked a dizzy spell and whispered very quietly, "Heart." Perceiving absolutely nothing, he gasped, "I cannot sense anything from him . . . it is as though there is nobody there."

You can't sense anything from me because I am merely a holographic representation of the real Sergeant Zarm, who is currently stationed on our home base."

"That would explain it," Ma-ti mused to himself.

"Get real, Ma-ti," Wheeler hissed, "This nimrod is tryin' to pull somethin' over on us. He's as crooked as a bent corkscrew."

"But he knows about Captain Planet," Gi pointed out to the doubting fire Planeteer.

"Somehow, I don't think so!" Wheeler argued intent on proving himself to be right. "Every fiber of my being tells me that this putz is bad news."

"I am your superior officer, Mister, and you will give me the respect I deserve!" Zarm angrily shot back to Wheeler.

"I _am_," the redhead sassed frostily.

Bubbling over with rage, Zarm shoved Wheeler to the ground, but he was not prepared for the actions Wheeler was about to make against him. Although he had no memory of the night Gaia chose him to be a Planeteer, the tough city-born boy sprang up and used the same moves on his new nemesis as he had once made on the gang-banger he had conquered in that Brooklyn alley over fourteen years ago. Had Zarm been as easily beaten, the trouble would be over; however, the malevolent spirit shot a stun ray that tossed Wheeler into the air and brought him down with an impact so hard that it knocked the wind out of him.

"Are you okay?" Kwame asked with concern in his voice as he knelt beside his dazed Planeteer pal. Wrapping his arms around Wheeler and helping him sit up, he said calmly, "Just breathe deeply and slowly. . . "

Once she saw that Kwame was taking care of Wheeler, Gi spoke out of turn, not caring what would happen to her, "There was no need to do that; he's not feeling like himself today . . . None of us are!"

"Da!" Linka joined the argument, "we all suddenly found ourselves here for a reason we do not know. The only thing we do know is that we are Planeteers, and that our memories have been erased somehow."

"Well, isn't it apparent, my dear," Zarm continued to cajole his company into taking his side; "your enemy obviously kidnapped you and purged your memories. Tell me honestly . . . how do you account for those?" he pointed to Linka's left wrist and indicated the rope burns.

"Don't believe him," Wheeler choked, still trying to regain normal breathing.

"Easy Wheeler " Kwame whispered, wanting to not only keep his friend calm, but to protect him from Zarm's repercussions as well. He then realized that the best way to keep Wheeler out of trouble was to take him away from their current environment and present company. "You still look a little shaky, my friend . . . Come, I will take you back to the compound so you can get some rest."

"I'm fine," Wheeler shot back.

"We are going," Kwame insisted as he pulled Wheeler to his feet and towed him away.

"Excuse me . . . Sergeant Zarm," Gi suddenly blurted out as soon as she noticed the two men were out of sight, " refresh our memories . . . what do you know about Captain Planet?"

"He is the superior officer who heads up this entire mission," an annoyed Zarm exhaled a very audible sigh.

"And our mission is . . . "Linka prodded. Seeing the impatience in Zarm's eyes, she reasoned, "You must bear with us . . . remember, we do not have our memories."

Proud of the handiwork he had done on the Planeteers, Zarm rubbed his hands and sneered as he conjured up the story he would tell his company. Deciding that his falsehood would pack more of a punch with visual aids, he invited Linka, Gi, and Ma-ti into his ship so he could augment his account with holograms.

"Captain Planet is the protector of this entire world," Zarm began to spin his wicked web of lies,"and he was displaced from this position by his jealous sister, Gaia. Gaia is currently acting as protector of this earth, and she is doing a terrible job at it. All you have to do is look around and see all the pollution." He raised his hand, and some holographic images of destruction appeared. Waters were so filthy that fish were washing up on the shores; images of violent warfare soon replaced the pollution simulations; then the holograms ceased for a moment. "Clearly, Gaia is not doing her job well at all. Nuclear weapons are still being built; land mines are still being planted; waters are becoming uninhabitable for sea life. Birds and animals are dying as a result, and irreplaceable old growth and rain forests are being clear cut. The world is overflowing in garbage, and what does Gaia do? She looks the other way." With that, he produced more images of dying animals and forests turned to desert wastelands after the destruction of trees. When busy highways and congested traffic jams appeared, he continued, "Pollution from cars lead to smog that makes the air unbreathable and contributes to global warming which in turn will ultimately destroy this entire planet. Captain Planet has given you the rings you wear. They control the elements of the earth itself, and Captain Planet wants you to use them to overthrow this incompetent Gaia and return him to his rightful place."

That is funny," Linka opposed the evidence that had just been presented to her, "This is not the information I saw on the computer earlier today."

"What computer is that?" Zarm lanced her with his stares.

"The one we were using in the compound. It said that we work as a team to clean up the planet and teach people what to do about the earth's problems. It also said that Captain Planet was a hero for Earth, not some opponent of this . . . Gaia's."

"Obviously your captor lied to you Blondie. He planted that article for you to see, hoping you would actually fall for his trickery."

Overtaken with a sudden creepy feeling, Gi improvised, "I think we had better go back to the compound and check on Wheeler. He didn't look too good when he and Kwame headed back."

Deciding to play along with the Asian, Ma-ti added, "Perhaps you should not have punished him like that? He is frightened like we all are, and he shows it differently. We can check to see if he is better, and we can fill him in on . . . our mission."

Zarm gave no objection, but he gave no approval either. Taking the silence as a cue, Linka, Gi, and Ma-ti exited the ship and headed straight to the compound.

In Clash's living quarters, Wheeler was sitting at the small, plastic table, and Kwame had just set a glass of water in front of him. The fire Planeteer had been breathing normally again; however, he had not gotten over the flaming fury he felt for the alien that gave him bad vibrations from the nanosecond he stepped off that spaceship.

"Drink this very slowly," the earth Planeteer instructed, "it will help you calm down."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Wheeler countered, bubbling with the street instincts that even a case of partial amnesia could not quell. "I'm tellin' ya, Kwame, that Zarm duphis is definitely not on the up and up. I can't explain how I know; I just do."

Before Kwame could provide his comeback, he heard the pitter-pat of sneakered feet on the outside stoop. "Do not say a word," he advised his buddy. "If Zarm is out there with the others, you do not want to make things worse for yourself by making him angry."

"Are you feeling better, Wheeler?" Linka queried as she and the youngest Planeteers entered the room.

"No!" he blurted out, "That . . . Zarm . . . He hasn't split ye—"

Kwame promptly placed his hand over Wheeler's mouth and slowly and clearly repeated his warning,"Do - not - say - a - word."

"Actually, Kwame . . . "Gi began, "Wheeler may be right about this Zarm. He wants us to believe that we're not here to save and protect the earth; he says we're part of a force sent here to overthrow someone named Gaia."

"What?" Kwame moved his hand away from Wheeler's mouth, trusting that his fellow eco-activist would not have any more argumentative outbursts.

He said that Gaia is some kind of careless being who defeated Captain Planet and is turning the other way while the earth becomes more polluted every day," Ma-ti .added.

"Zarm's story did not match the information we found on Commander Clash's computer," Linka joined in with some more accounts. "He kept telling us of all these bad things that were happening, and that Captain Planet gave us our rings to help him take back the earth. How can Captain Planet give us our rings if he comes from the rings' powers?"

"Zarm said that the person who tied us up and destroyed our memories planted phony articles on Clash's computer." Ma-ti rubbed the back of his scraped up left hand, which had been itching from the multiple scabs. "He also seemed very distant and impersonal with us. He never addressed us by name or rank . . . even when he was yelling at Wheeler."

"That is right," a mental light bulb flashed in Linka's mind, "Commander Clash and the computer both called us 'Planeteers', but Zarm would not call us anything. He also seemed to care more about the completing of this so-called mission than about our health or the memory losses we suffered."

"I think I saw Zarm smile for a brief moment when Linka said we lost our memories."

I knew it!" Wheeler pounded the tabletop with his fist, 100 certain that his intuition was right, and that Zarm was not by any stretch of the imagination their commander.

So, you don't believe me," Zarm snapped defensively as he suddenly appeared in the doorway. "You will accept what I say as true, even if I-"

Zarm's threat was interrupted when Wheeler splashed the contents of his glass right into the villain's eyes. Knowing that this diversion would only last a few seconds, Wheeler barreled toward his adversary; and, before long the brawling pair had managed to take their altercation outside. Fearing that Wheeler would be defeated again and suffer more injuries than just a few bruises and temporary breathing difficulties, the others followed and rapidly exchanged glances to one another. Kwame and Linka concluded that there was no better time to test the powers in their rings.

"Earth!" Kwame shouted, pointing his ring to the ground beneath the combatants and causing a quake that forced the two to release their hold on each other.

The split second she saw them separate, Linka aimed her ring at Zarm and called out, "Wind!" A small tornado spun around and captured Zarm in its twirling, dizzying fury and left him suspended in mid air. Unluckily, the tornado did not last forever, and it soon faded, dropping an infuriated Zarm to the ground.

Before Zarm had the chance to seek his revenge against the Planeteers, Commander Clash suddenly popped up out of nowhere with a fixed bayonet, intent on injuring or even killing this wicked enemy. "We meet again, Zarm!" he announced coldly.

"Always pleasant to see you, Clash . . . "Raising his right fist, Zarm emitted a beam that blew the bayonet from the soldier's hands, leaving him with only his wits and adeptness with hand-to-hand combat. Seconds later, an unarmed Clash found himself in a loosing battle with an alien spirit who had all sorts of supernatural powers at his disposal.

"Commander Clash is in trouble!" Wheeler cried out to his companions, "We need to try to call Captain Planet again!"

"But we could not-"Linka protested, only to be interrupted.

"We must try; Clash is depending on us!" Kwame declared as he raised his right fist into the air and made up his mind that he was going to do what he could and hope the others would follow suit. "We must let our powers combine . . . Earth!"

Joining the effort to summon Cap, Wheeler aimed his ring toward the green beam that Kwame had produced and bellowed, "Fire!"

Without skipping a heartbeat, Linka pumped her fist into the air and called, "Wind!"

Seeing this curious chain of events, Gi held up her ring and yelled, "Water!"

Almost immediately, Ma-ti added the final piece of the puzzle and hollered, "Heart!"

The five colored beams swirled and swam together; but instead of turning into the useless starburst that materialized before, they changed into a thunder cloud which quickly turned into a blue skinned super hero that soared through the air.

"By your powers combined . . . I am Captain Planet!" the supernatural being announced before feeling a mild twinge of fatigue. Ignoring this current state of consciousness, he burst forth when he saw the physical confrontation that was taking place on the ground.

Instead of roaring their usual "go Planet", the memory impaired Planeteers stood staring curiously at the hero who rapidly flew to aid the struggling Commander clash.

"It looks like these two are having a _clash _of personalities," Cap quipped as he snatched the soldier away from the adversary who would have rendered him unconscious or caused him serious injuries had the fight lasted one minute longer. While the two were still aloft, Cap caught a bird's eye view of Zarm's ship and said to his current passenger, "It looks like Zarm still refuses to play nice. What do you say Commander Clash . . . Should we send him home?"

"That is an excellent idea, Captain Planet," Clash agreed.

'Planeteers . . . 'Cap silently communicated to his young warriors of the world, 'Lure Zarm back to his ship. Commander Clash and I will do the rest.'

Acting at once on Cap's directive, Wheeler wasted no time in kicking sand at Zarm and shooting insults at him. "Hey, stupid, your mommy recycles her trash!" he taunted, ". . . And your house is solar powered!"

"I'll get you, you eco-freak!" Zarm threatened as he gave chase after Wheeler and his friends, who were heading for the space ship.

Upon arrival at the UFO, Zarm found Cap and Clash standing steadfast in front of the entry way. Once they saw the nasty alien raising a hand to shoot some rays at them, the pro-planet pair leaped into action. Cap sprang up into the air, and Clash zoomed toward and collided with the fighting foe. Their violent scuffle was a blur for both involved, and they found themselves inside the ship, still exchanging blows.

"Enough of these childish games," the bad guy snorted as he ruthlessly and roughly shoved Clash to the floor and closed in on him, intent on eliminating this opponent.

As the commander lay on the floor groaning, and the malevolent alien cast his dark shadow over him, Cap and the Planeteers stormed in and tackled Zarm to the ground. The team effort shared by the six heroes made pinning the evil entity down a success with the five youths sitting on each limb and his back and Cap holding his head to the cold, hard floor. Clash, who had been bluffing in an effort to make Zarm think he would be easily overpowered, jumped up and searched for a weapon that would render the bad guy unconscious, He ducked into every compartment on the ship, including the control room, the holding cell, and the interrogation room where the Planeteers had been robbed of their memories. Seeing a black cylinder that was slightly longer and thicker than a highlighter pen, he grabbed it, not knowing that this was the very device that was responsible for five cases of partial amnesia. Believing this was a futuristic type of stun stick, Clash ran back to the others, his objective, to sedate his enemy and send him to his home world on auto-pilot.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zarm could see the weapon clash was about to use against him, and he knew what was in store for him. He could not move under the full weight of six people. and all he could do was shriek, "Nooooooooo!" This was the last word he said before clash held the device to his temple and pressed the red touch pad on the side of the cylinder, sending him into a comatose state and erasing his memory as he had done earlier to the Planeteers.

Once they had confirmed that Zarm was now harmless, The Planeteers climbed off his unmoving body, and Cap and Clash dragged him into the control room. They left him sprawled out on the floor in front of the navigation consol and set a departure course, activating a timer that would allow the good guys enough time to escape before the ship would automatically take off into space.

"Commander clash," Gi gasped, surprised to see the military man had returned so quickly and was able to distract Zarm long enough to save her and her fellow Planeteers from any horrible and vindictive actions Zarm planned to take against them, "how did you know to come back and help us?"

"While I was on my way to Headquarters, I saw Zarm's ship on my radar screen; and I knew I was being tricked into leaving the island. I landed my chopper on the other side of the island and made my way back here on foot. I knew I had to act fast when I saw Linka's tornado begin to break up..."

"How can we ever thank you, Commander?" Ma-ti felt that mere words could not express his and the other youths' gratitude.

"No thanks are necessary, Planeteers." Clash said as he scuffed the heel of his boot in the sand.

Now that the pressing danger had passed, Clash and the Planeteers were free to focus on another challenge that, although it was not as dangerous as a confrontation with Zarm, was one that would not be as easily resolved. Not all the physical team work and brain power they had was enough to figure out how to restore the youths' damaged memories. Cap had returned to the earth to recharge because, with Gaia in her state of deep sleep, he was still feeling a little sluggish, and he could not blow off the fatigue any longer..

"I can't seem to stay awake, Planeteers," he yawned, ". . . The power is yours." With that he dissolved into the colorful swirl that quickly broke into the yellow, blue, white, red, and green beams that returned to the Planeteers' rings.

It was quite a tight squeeze fitting six people in Clash's chopper, and the ride back to Hope Island was a long one that felt as though it were dragging at a snail's pace. The lack of radio broadcasts and difficulty in finding anything to talk about made the trip a very boring one for the young adults. Only Clash, who was focusing on his piloting, seemed immune to the feelings of restlessness.

Just before they landed on the Planeteers' home island, Clash peered through the chopper's windshield and caught sight of the slumbering Gaia lying quietly in the sand. After landing nearby Clash and the Planeteers rushed over to the gentle spirit's side. Gaia lay on her right side, half way in the fetal position and with one arm curled under her head. Anyone who did not know that Zarm had induced that restful unconsciousness would think that she had decided to take a cat nap in the fresh air.

"Gaia . . . Gaia . . . "Clash knelt in front of her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

"She is so beautiful," Ma-ti sighed, admiring the dozing black lady's loveliness and serenity.

"How much do you wanna bet Zarm was the one that did this to her!" Wheeler sharply commented, clenching his right fist and pounding it into his left hand.

"Can we wake her?" Gi questioned as she moved in closer to get a better look at Gaia.

"She is not responding," Clash answered with the shake of the head. "I don't think she'll hear us or feel our hands if we shake her awake."

Maybe I can reach her . . . . Heart," Ma-ti pressed his right hand to his forehead and attempted to communicate with Gaia on the subconscious level. "Gaia . . . if you can hear me . . . please wake up."

Gaia softly stirred, but she was as difficult to rouse as a teenager on the first day of her sophomore year of high school.

"Gaia, _Please _wake up," Ma-ti pleaded as he poured his heart out and channeled his mental and emotional vibrations through his powers – and hopefully into Gaia's conscious mind.

Again, Gaia stirred, but this time she opened her eyes and lifted her head. With a little help from her friends she would soon return to a fully conscious state.

"Planeteers?" she whispered as her eyesight grew sharper, and she focused on the five junior heroes who looked down with faces of inquisition and worry. A sudden terrible thought accelerated her awakening, and she rapidly crawled to an upright position. "Zarm . . . He's somewhere on this island. All of you must take cover!"

"Zarm is no longer a danger to you, Gaia," Clash assured the scared spirit with a calm, military style firmness accenting his words.

"Yeah, we sent 'im packin'!" Wheeler bragged.

Seeing the looks in the Planeteers' and the soldier's eyes that clearly did not reflect feelings of triumph, she prodded, "Zarm is gone . . . but something else is very wrong here; isn't it?"

"It appears that Zarm erased portions of the Planeteers' memories and left them on my island," the commander explained, filling Gaia in on what little information he had. "When I found them, they appeared to have had no memory of who they were. They don't seem to have any personal memories, and all they know about themselves now, they had to read from some internet articles."

"This is a new low for Zarm!" an infuriated Gaia erupted as she shook her fist in the air and created a small group of thunder clouds. "Once your memories are gone, they're gone forever! What could possibly drive someone to destroy five innocent people like that!"

The Planeteers were understandably frightened; after all, they not only had to deal with gaps in their memories, but they also stood witnessing a mysterious lady's producing a thunderstorm out of nothing. Reasoning to herself that Gaia's anger would make the storm even more dangerous, Linka felt the only way to calm things down was to explain everything she knew. Brushing back the ponytail that had been blowing in her face, she began:

"All we can tell you is that we all woke up in this strange area with no memory of who we were or what we were to doing there. If it were not for Commander Clash lending us his personal computer, we still would not know our names."

"We suspected fowl play when we noticed the similarities among us," Gi picked up the conversational ball. "It didn't take long to figure out something was wrong when we saw that we all had the same shirts, same memory loss . . . I came to and found myself alone on some beach, and I was tied and gagged; pretty soon, I found out that the same thing happened to the others too. There's no way we could mistake what happened to us as an accident or coincidence."

"It was not until after Commander Clash found us at his camp and let us look ourselves up on the computer that Zarm appeared, posing as our commanding officer," Kwame added, "Ma-ti used his power to check him out, but Zarm claimed to be a hologram that was projected from a remote location."

"How many holograms can shoot people ten feet into the air and knock enough wind outta them to fly a kite?" Wheeler commented.

"There was something about Zarm that Wheeler did not like," Ma-ti joined in with another piece of the explanation, "and it was not until Linka, Gi and I entered Zarm's ship when we finally realized we were being deceived. We had already learned that we could use our power rings to summon someone named Captain Planet, but Zarm told us that Captain Planet gave us the rings. He also said that we were sent here to defeat an on looking Gaia and give Captain Planet control of the earth."

"Ma-ti thinks Zarm's the one who tinkered with our thinkers " Wheeler observed, "He said he even thought he saw Zarm crack a smile when he found out we all had amnesia. I wouldn't 'ave put it past 'im."

"It doesn't matter how it happened or why it happened;" Gaia countered as she dissolved her thunderstorm then looked sadly at her beloved and violated Planeteers, "The harm has been done, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Perhaps, if you showed them their lives on your Planetvision," suggested Commander Clash, "they would have a foundation on which to reconstruct their memories."

"That would do nothing for them, Clash," Gaia shook her head gloomily. "It would be the same as trying to get them to draw personal memories from events in a history book. They would have cognitive knowledge of past events, but there would be no emotional connection. . . connections that shaped and molded their lives and personalities since early childhood. The passions and experiences they gathered when they were younger made them into the unique people that I felt were perfect to be Planeteers. They would still be able to use their powers, but the heart felt desire to save the earth would be missing, and they would have to carry that void with them for the rest of their lives."

"This may be true, but you cannot retire them because of their partial amnesia. The earth still needs them," Clash proudly advocated for the Planeteers. "Their memories may be gone, but the power is still theirs."

Following clash's return to his own island, Gaia realized that the only thing she could do for the memory impaired environmental activists was to educate them on the problems faced by the earth and hopefully rekindle some sparks of eco-excitement. Not wanting to overwhelm them, she decided to ease them slowly through Planet's Problems 101, provided eco-emergencies wouldn't accelerate the teachings into a crash course.

When the Planeteers left the Crystal Chamber later that afternoon, they made their minds up that they also needed to learn all they could about themselves if they were to give their all to the fight to save the planet. With Gaia's help, they all found their respective huts, and they settled down in their personal studies. Ma-ti climbed into his tattered recliner with a box in his lap that contained some handwritten journals, his late father's necklace, and other souvenirs from his childhood. Gi snuggled up in her swivel chair with her stuffed dolphin and a thick photo album that was packed full with pictures from her infancy through young adulthood. Linka settled into her gliding rocker with her laptop computer and a box of Russell Stofer's chocolates she found on her desk. Wheeler sprawled out on his beanbag chair with his VCR remote, intent on reviewing the home made videos he found on the shelf beneath his mini-cam. Kwame wedged an old telephone directory under the front left corner of his three legged wingback chair before sitting down to rifle through a carton full of old letters.

Linka had been deeply involved with her computer cram session for several hours, carefully observing the details within her MSWord documents and her emails. One email caught her attention as a late breaking news bulletin overshadows all activities in a television watcher's living room. The message originated from the email of Dawn Derek, and the subject line read memory experiment successful! Without one second of delay, Linka clicked on the message, and the email opened up.

Dear Planeteers,

This is just a short message to let you know that the engram replication was a success, and the simulated Planeteers accepted the electronic copies of your memories.

How are all of you feeling; I know that you were still disoriented after the procedures. If you're having any problems, don't hesitate to contact me; and we'll set up an appointment for you at once.

Thank you very much for your help yesterday.

Sincerely,

Dawn Derek PhD

"Bozhe Moy!" Linka exclaimed, feeling a spark of hope and enthusiasm burning within her, "Planeteers get in here quickly!"

In under a minute, the Planeteers heard Linka's call through the open windows, and they all came rushing in.

"What is it Linka?" Kwame asked as he approached the blonde.

"Look at this . . . "Linka handed her computer over to the black man and the others who were standing around him. "It seems this Dr. Derek made electronic copies of our memories recently, and she has put them into some kind of simulated Planeteers.

"That's impossible," Wheeler denied the veracity of this new finding.

"So are rings that double as flame throwers," Gi reminded him as she gently nudged him in the side.

Wheeler shrugged and tugged lightly on his ring.

"If this Dr. Derek has copies of our memories and has been able to give them to computerized Planeteers . . . "Kwame began as he returned the computer to the Russian coed.

". . . Then she may be able to transplant those memories back into us!" Ma-ti reasoned, picking up where the earth Planeteer had left off.

"But those were _electronic _Planeteers, and we're real. There's no guarantee that we can use her copies." Gi felt the need to play devil's advocate, even though she didn't want to burst any bubbles.

"But we could not be any worse off than we are now," Linka countered as she prepared a reply to the scientist's message. "I will contact Dr. Derek and tell her about our problem, and she should be able to tell us if we can use her data to restore our memories." Seeing a grinning Wheeler reach toward her box of chocolates intent on sneaking a piece, she grabbed his wrist and giggled, "Really, Wheeler, if you want some candy, all you have to do is ask for it," She then fished out a piece with an orange flavored center and handed it to her hungry, freckle faced buddy.

When he saw the redhead stuff the candy into his mouth, Ma-ti took that as a hint that they needed to head to their common hut and start cooking their supper. "I think we had better get dinner on the stove before Wheeler eats all your candy, Linka,"

"But who among us does the cooking?" Kwame inquired as he pulled gently on his right earlobe.

"I saw a calendar on the refrigerator," Gi remembered the 10 by 10 page that was posted up in the kitchen. "Maybe we all take turns with the cooking and cleaning."

"While you are to finding out who will do the cooking, I will send the message to Dr. Derek," Linka suggested as she began typing.

"Agreed . . ." Kwame said as he, Ma-ti, Wheeler, and Gi exited and started for the common hut, "and you can meet us after you send the email."

In the kitchen, the Planeteers learned that it was Kwame and Wheeler's turn to fix the evening meal; and while Kwame prepared a large tossed salad from the vegetables he found in the crisper, Wheeler threw five garden burgers into a large aluminum baking dish. Realizing he could accelerate the cooking process, the Pyro Planeteer laid the pan on top of the stove, aimed his ring at the frozen paddies, and commanded, "Fire." A small flame shot from the crystal, allowing the burgers to cook slowly and evenly.

All of the food was prepared, and the milk glasses were on the table when Linka entered, announcing that the email was on its way to Dr. Derek. As a Star Trek movie marathon played in the background, the five young adults consumed their supper and talked about the discoveries they made while studying their personal effects in their huts. When it was time to eat desert, Wheeler grabbed his Chips Ahoy! Cookies and munched on them while on his way back to his hut to look at one or two more tapes before going to bed. The remaining four followed suit and nibbled their cookies while en route to their homes and more of their studies.

"**What's goin" on?" Wheeler questio**ned as he opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar place that resembled the inside of the Klingon Bird of Pray that was shown in the Star Trek movie he had been watching during supper. He attempted to get his bearings only to find he was secured to a rolling desk chair with heavy chains that were locked around his chest and lap. All around him he could hear the aliens' laughter that rang out loudly and fiercely. He tried to look around to make eye contact with anyone who might be nearby, but he couldn't see any faces. Suddenly he felt a pair of heavy hands clamping his shoulders and pushing him toward a ten foot view screen. On that giant monitor, the dumbfounded Planeteer saw the lovely green and blue planet that he knew to be his home world; and to his horror, he saw a dark, purple ray going from the bottom right corner of the screen straight to the center of the planet. In half a second, the planet burst into an explosion of angry flames and deafening thunder; then the massive fireball disintegrated, leaving only a pile of ashes in its wake. As the aliens broke out in roaring howls of victory one voice, which turned out to be Zarm's, gloated, "So how does it feel to be the last surviving member of humanity?"

"Nooooo!" Wheeler screamed as he struggled helplessly under the weight of the chains.

As sudden as a lightning strike, Wheeler was thrust from his nightmare into the eerie silence and darkness of his bedroom on a moonless night. The tightness of his chains in the dream was matched by the snug confines of the bundle of sheets and blankets that mummified him as a result of too much tossing and turning. Concluding that he was not about to go back to sleep, he rolled around on his mattress to unravel himself from his covers, and he stumbled off the bed once his swaddling wraps were removed. He then grabbed his garnet, terry-cloth bathrobe and wrapped it around himself as he headed for the common hut.

A content Ma-ti walked in quiet solitude through the rain forests he had been reading about in his journals. Everything was lush and green, and the air was as fresh as it was the day God created it. Somehow he knew that he was supposed to meet Gaia, Clash, Cap, and the other Planeteers for a reason he did not know. All he knew was that whatever the plans were, they were something wonderful that he may have been looking forward to for a long time. Unexpectedly, the sound of a locomotive filled the air, and Ma-ti knew a dangerous tornado was threatening his friends, who were located in the destination to which he was hiking. To his dismay, he tried to use his heart power to contact his friends, but his power did not seem to work. Wanting to warn everyone of the danger, he began to dash toward the place he knew his comrades were; however, when he ran forward, he was actually going backwards. The more he tried to press forward, the farther back he seemed to end up. Before the worst of the dream could play out, and before the tornado could hit the others, the dreamed snapped into a dark void that bridged the worlds of fantasy and reality.

When Ma-ti left his dream and returned to the real world, he found himself lying on his bed face-down. His covers looked as though someone had carelessly thrown them over him after he had fallen asleep. Apparently, when he was running in the dream, his legs had really been flailing; and he had pulled his covers loose, exposing his bare legs. As Wheeler had done, he jumped from his bed and donned his light yellow, cotton bathrobe and ran for the common hut.

The warm sunlight cast its toasty blanket over Gi, who was exercising on the beach with a portable stereo sitting on a tarp next to her. She was enjoying the energizing workout and the upbeat music, but this happy mood would not last for long. Without warning, the music came to an abrupt stop, and a deadpan sounding newscaster announced, "We interrupt this program to bring you this special report. The world's water supply seems to be mysteriously disappearing. Oceans, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs are drying out without any explanation." The sky grew a dark and ugly smoggy brown, and a horrified Gi ran toward the ocean only to find a sea of mud and many water born creatures writhing in agony, unable to breathe or tolerate their dry atmosphere. Dropping to her knees, the Asian could do nothing more than burry her face in her hands and cry softly out of grief for the sea creatures that were dying a senseless death in vain.

The gentle weeping brought Gi back to a waking state. Still overwhelmed by the fright the dream had given her, she was not quite ready to move from her bed. Hugging her stuffed dolphin, she burrowed under her covers and cried some more. When she had finally run out of tears, she slithered out of her bed, put on her deep purple, silk bathrobe, and cautiously made her way to the common hut.

Kwame found himself running toward something he knew to be of the utmost importance. He could not quite put his finger on it, but he realized that time was of the essence if he was to complete his objective. Suddenly, a great rumbling echoed throughout the terrain that he was traveling, and the ground shook violently, causing him to fall and suffer a minor injury. Once he determined that he had only scraped his left knee, he began to run toward his destination again, his stride slowed down by the abrasions that left him with a slight limp. When he appeared to have made it to his all important target area, he stood in paralyzing terror as he watched everything sink into the ground one by one and for no apparent reason. First, the trees disappeared into the quicksand that was once solid earth; then buildings began to go under the surface; and finally, animals and people were submerged under the ground that sucked up everything except Kwame.

The nightmare faded, leaving Kwame with a tingly sensation that enveloped his entire body. He lay frozen beneath his rumpled covers trying to shake off the sense of fear he had gotten while still involved in the dream. Once he had finally overcome his dread, he found himself able to move again, and he pulled back his blanket and sheet. Slipping into his tan, linen bathrobe he slowly started for the common hut.

Linka sat on the swing behind the Planeteers' huts reading a paperback novel as a warm breeze brushed softly against her back. In the background, she could hear Gi, Kwame, Ma-ti, and Wheeler's laughter as they ran and had fun on the nearby beachfront. In the distance she could see a silver heart shaped balloon flapping in the wind, and the words "HAPPY EARTH DAY' WERE PRINTED IN BRIGHT, BLUE FONT ON THE FRONT OF THAT BALLOON. Gaia had appeared to her and urged her to play with them as they were planning to have relay races, wet sponge tosses, hula hoop contests and other field day type of activities. The spirit claimed that Ma-ti was going to judge the three legged RACE AND THAT Gi needed a partner. Slipping her book mark between the pages of her novel and laying it on the swing, Linka headed toward the celebration. She had approached Gi and promised to team up with her when the wind suddenly turned cold and brisk. Then, with no prior warning, the gusts swept up each of the frolicking Planeteers and Gaia and carried them off separately to an unknown place. All a shocked Linka could tell was that she just stood and watched as her friends disappeared in front of her one at a time, ultimately leaving her alone on Hope Island.

When the nightmare had faded and brought Linka back to the safety of her bed, she could not shake the suffocating feeling of loneliness that spilled over from the images that haunted her while she slept. Feeling as though she were being eaten alive by a sense of urgency, she thrust back her covers, threw on her emerald green, allure bathrobe, and dashed outside; however instead of heading for the common hut where her fellow Planeteers had gone, she stepped into each of their individual huts. Her feelings of anxiety grew and became more painful with each empty bed she saw. Her mind too clouded with fear and panic, she ran to the footpath and dropped to her knees in front of her hut and broke into sobs of despair, for she was convinced that her dream had come true and she was all alone.

"Linka?" Gaia, who had seen Linka's sneaking and peeping act, appeared and knelt beside the shaking and wailing woman.

With a start, Linka popped up and stared to the dark skinned spirit with wide, gray eyes. Shocked and grateful that her isolation was just the product of her nightmare and the trepidation that came with it, she traded her tears of despair for tears of relief.

"It's okay, Linka, I saw the other Planeteers going into the common hut, not to long ago," Gaia soothed the terrified wind Planeteer's fears as she rested a light hand on her shoulder. "I think they have been having nightmares too. Come on." With that, she gently pulled Linka to her feet and led her by the hand to the room where she would find the friends she had missed very badly just a moment ago.

When Linka entered the common room, she stared wide eyed at the Planeteers, whose presence she was still trying to confirm in her mind. Wheeler sat in the rocker squeezing the belt of his robe with shaking hands; Kwame and Gi sat on the couch hugging and comforting each other; and a distant looking Ma-ti was in the kitchen brewing some sort of natural remedy that he hoped would reduce everyone's stress levels. Seeing a swollen eyed Linka standing by the kitchen table, Wheeler ejected himself from the rocker and ran up to hug her. Feeling comforted that she was no longer alone in the world, Linka returned the embrace. Then they both pulled up some chairs and sat at the table.

"Guys, I've been thinking" Wheeler said as he tucked some out of place hair behind his left ear, "and I don't think we should go through with it. If we're havin' these dreams now; what's it gonna be like if we get our memories back? I saw one of my videos and found out that there was a terrorist attack in my home town. . . If that stupid tape bugged me this much and made me have that nightmare, then what am I gonna be like when I actually remember all that stuff first hand?"

"Maybe you are right, Wheeler " Ma-ti agreed as he consulted one of the cook books that rested on the counter and dropped some herbs into a teapot full of hot water. "After reading some of my journals and the calendar on the refrigerator, I found out that this coming May will be the twentieth anniversary of my parents' death. According to the entries, I was far away from them when they died, and . . . I am not sure I want to relive that pain; it is bad enough just having to read about it."

"Da," Linka began to regret having contacted Dr. Derek and having told her of everyone's memory loss. "I looked to my own journals and letters on my computer, and I saw that I have lost my mother, my grandfather, my father, and then my cousin all before I even became of age . . . and now I am to having a dream that I lost all of you too."

"And how much destruction have we witnessed over the years since we became Planeteers?" Kwame said as he dug his right hand into his bathrobe pocket. "From what I learned, we have been part of the Planeteers since 1990 . . . for around fourteen years. What horrors have we seen close up in those fourteen years?"

"And what about the animals?" Gi sighed, fighting a shiver that traced her spine and caused her to tremor for a second or two. "Gaia told us that we have seen livestock going blind in South America because of the depleting ozone layer, mother dogs and their puppies being raised in squalid settings where they're abused or starved if they fail to produce large litters, and countless baby animals loosing their mothers to greedy poachers who want to sell animal parts as decorations or souvenirs. I don't want to bring those memories back . . . do you?"

"Planeteers please listen to me," Gaia felt the need to join in the conversation and quell the quitter mentality that would envelop the young eco-heroes. "I know you're afraid of what might happen if you regain your memories, but you must understand that your past experiences, good and bad shaped you into the people you were meant to be. The traumas you have had may not feel good to you; however, they gave you character, strength, and resilience. Wheeler, the attack of September 11th was a tragedy that affected you very deeply; I'll grant you that . . . but you also learned how to cope with great personal loss. Linka, the deaths of so many of your family members gave you a sense of loyalty and commitment toward those you care about and the drive to put yourself on the line for them. Ma-ti, your unique childhood experiences left you with more wisdom than other children your age had. It's true you were orphaned very young; but had you grown up with your parents, you would have turned out to be a completely different person with a different heart and different passions. Gi and Kwame, yes, you have seen lots of destruction and death, but those horrible visions fueled your desire and determination to save the trees, the animals, and the entire planet. If you do regain the negative memories, you would also regain the coping skills you would need to get yourselves through them again. You would also have the knowledge that you _did _get through them . . . which is more than you can say about the first time the tragedies happened. Even though it's possible you may not get your memories back, you owe it to your selves to give it a try. If you don't even consider getting your memories back, it would be like remaining children for the rest of your lives and denying yourselves the chance to grow up."

I never thought of it that way," Ma-ti confessed as he removed the whistling teapot from the stove and poured the brew into five mugs that had 'Celebrate Earth Day' printed on them. "Maybe we _should _go see Dr. Derek about restoring our memories."

""We sure can't be any worse off than we are now," Wheeler said as he accepted one of the mugs.

"But first, we should see if she answers the email," Linka reminded everyone not to get the proverbial cart before the horse.

Feeling unprepared to go back to bed and risk having more heart stopping dreams, the Planeteers sat up together nursing their tea and offering words of comfort and support for each other. They had only had partial amnesia for about twenty-four hours, but they were rapidly becoming as close as family. The five surrogate brothers and sisters exchanged loving hugs and promises that they would be there to help each other through any tough times their possible memory restorations would bring.

The morning brought a warm, glowing sunrise that made the trees throw their long shadows across the sandy white ground. The sweet fragrance of flowers and the priceless aura of peace and resolution mixed with the floating breezes, making them billows of good cheer and positive vibrations. After the Planeteers devoured their breakfast of poached eggs and toast, and once they all had their showers, they all gathered in Linka's hut while she checked her email.

"Bozhe Moy . . . "Linka looked incredulously at the email she had not been expecting to arrive so soon, "Dr. Derek has already replied to my email."

"So what's it say?" wheeler queried as he perched on the foot of Linka's freshly made bed and scooped up a lavender teddy bear into his hands.

"It says, 'Dear Planeteers," Linka started to read, ". . . I am very sorry to hear what has happened to you. Please come see me as soon as you get this message. Together, we can work to restore your memories and bring everything back to normal. The attached document is a map and some written directions that would enable you to find my lab. I have cleared out my whole day, so we can spend as much time as we need. Hope to see you later today.' It is signed Dr. Dawn Derek, PhD."

"What are we waiting for?" Wheeler sprang from the bed and dropped the stuffed toy onto the pillow, "Let's book."

After Linka PRINTED UP THE MAP AND DIRECTIONS, SHE SENT A REPLY, NOTIFYING Dr. Derek that she and the other Planeteers were on their way. With Gi piloting the Geo-cruiser and Kwame acting as navigator, the amnesiac group took flight and easily found Dr. Derek's lab. When they entered, they settled onto a line of stools and exchanged introductions with the wheelchair using scientist.

"Can you tell me how this happened?" Dr. Derek automatically asked before realizing that was a stupid question.

"Duh," Wheeler countered, "if we lost our memories, how are we supposed to know how it happened?"

"I know that didn't come out right. What I mean is . . . Did anyone tell you how you lost your memories. I need to be sure that this isn't the result of the replication I did on you the other day."

"Nyet," Linka shook her head and leaned back against the wall, "we were able to find out that someone deliberately erased them . . . but we do not know how they did it."

"As long as I know the replication isn't the problem, I believe we'll be able to give an engramatic graft a try," Dr. Derek promised before sliding to her desk drawer and retrieving the CD's on which she stored the Planeteers' memory engrams. "In theory, I should be able to convert the data to bio-electric activity; but, in practice, there's no way to tell if it will actually work. The best case scenario, you should regain everything up until you took part in the replication process; the worst case scenario, you would be the same as you are now . . . having to rebuild your memories from scratch."

"Since we supposedly had this done so recently, we wouldn't be missing very much," Gi reasoned, making her mind up that she wanted to take her chances and have her graft.

"More important . . . "Ma-ti mused aloud, "We would not remember our kidnapping or the actual destruction of our memories."

"How long will it take to get us back to normal?" Kwame calmly asked.

"I'm afraid it will take much longer to restore your memories than it did to copy them into electronic format. We're talking about decade's worth of memories, and I don't want to risk overloading your brains with too much information. What I plan to do is induce sleep and start you on some of the less intense memories; then I will gradually work up to the stronger ones. If I can reserve five beds in the sleep study clinic on the second floor, I can keep rebuilding your memories over a relatively short amount of time. However, if I can't do that . . . or if you choose not to do this on an in-patient basis, I can set regular out-patient appointments for you. It will take longer that way, but, in the end, you would still be well again."

"How long would it take either way?" Gi wanted to weigh the two possibilities before making the wiser decision.

"If you do this grafting as in-patients, the five of you would be monitored twenty-four seven; and the procedures would be continuous. Assuming all goes well, you should be released inside of a week. If you choose to do it on an out-patient basis, the treatments would be broken up into shorter sessions that would take at most three months to complete."

"Three months or a week . . . If we happen to be called on an eco-emergency . . . "Kwame thought out loud.

"Those eco villains Gaia told us about aren't gonna hold off their dirty work just because we have a doctor's appointment," Wheeler said as he fished a piece of cinnamon gum from the pocket of his vest and popped it into his mouth.

"Wheeler's right," Gi agreed, "If we have to keep ducking our appointments to go on eco missions, we might not be able to come in . . . and we'll never recover."

"I think the best thing for us to do is check ourselves into the clinic, have our treatment, and hope we are not needed on any eco-emergencies for at least the week we are under your care, Dr. Derek," Ma-ti had come to his own decision.

"Da, he is right," Linka, too made up her mind that she would opt for the in-patient treatments and a shorter recuperation time.

"Then it is agreed," Kwame confirmed the quintet's commitment to the therapy with strong inflections of conviction coloring his voice. "Dr. Derek, see if you can get us those beds; and if you can, we will go home and pack some bags and return here first thing in the morning."

Dr. Derek rolled herself to her desk and picked up the telephone handset before punching a four digit extension on the keypad. "Hello . . . Dr. Richards . . . I'm going to be conducting a very important experiment, and I will need to reserve five beds in your clinic . . . tomorrow . . . for about a week . . . Oh really . . . I suppose I could do that; I have to ask my volunteers. Hold on a minute," Dr Derek covered the mouth piece on the receiver and turned to face the Planeteers, "Dr. Richards said that we can reserve the beds as long as you check in right away. He told me that he will need us to finish in about six days because he has a sleep study scheduled." Seeing the nods from the youths who were willing to inconvenience themselves in order to speed up their recovery, she returned her attention to her phone call. "Yes, they're willing . . . All right. We'll be down right away. Thank you very much . . . Good-bye." When she hung up the phone she turned to face her patients and informed them, "We have to get down there now, and I'll need your help carrying the equipment."

"No problem," Wheeler declared as he sprang from his seat and waited for Dr. Derek to liberate her laptop computer from its deep desk drawer and hand it to him.

With the Planeteers' help, Dr. Derek was able to transport all the electronic paraphernalia She needed to the sleep clinic The five immediately checked in while their scientist friend borrowed a rolling cart that would enable her to easily transport her apparatus from one room to another. The girls shared a double room while the boys occupied a triple across the hallway. As soon as the necessary paperwork had been filled out and plastic ID bracelets had been snapped around the Planeteers' wrists, they moved into their temporary quarters and awaited the first phase of their treatment.

"Wheeler, Are you going to come out; we only have six and a half days," Kwame called to the closed bathroom door after sliding into his bed.

"No way!" Wheeler stubbornly refused to come out and be seen by his roommates.

"We all have to wear them, Wheeler," Ma-ti argued in the direction of his hidden compadre's voice.

"Forget it!"

"IS Wheeler ready for his first treatment?" Dr Derek asked as she and a helper entered with the equipment, "I want to start with him because he's the oldest and he'll have more engrams to replace."

"Wheeler, Dr. Derek is ready for you," Kwame announced, "she said she wants to start your treatment right now."

Feeling that he had no choice, especially with Dr Derek right there in the room, Wheeler swung the door open and poked his head out, his cheeks red with the embarrassment he felt at having to wear a hospital issue gown. "You couldn't 'ave given us time to go home and get some real pj's," he grumbled as he sidestepped to his bed, careful not to let anyone see his backside.

"Just lie back, Wheeler. I'm going to induce sleep before I begin to graft your first group of engrams. This way it won't be as much of a shock to your brain." The doctor fastened a silver gizmo to his right wrist next to his ID tag. "This tracking device works as a remote vital monitor. If your vitals start to go off the chart while I'm away from you, a sound clip will alert me, and I will be able to get you any help you will need."

"Am I gonna remember any o' this?"

"Once you are asleep and I have started the graft, the memories will manifest as a composite of similar dream sequences. It won't be as intense as the replication you had the other day. I'll use the cranial band to copy the electronic memories from the CD and download them as inactive data into your brain. It's going to take some time for your mind to process that data and assimilate it into active memory engrams; so don't be disappointed if you wake up and cannot remember anything at first." With that she produced something that resembled a television remote, aimed it at Wheeler's head, and pressed the button that sent mental signals for the redhead's brain to go into a sound sleep. She then applied the cranial band, inserted Wheeler's memory CD and started the graft with the execution of a keyboard command.

After she had finished Wheeler's first phase of treatment, Dr Derek issued Kwame his own wrist-mounted vital monitor and began his grafting procedure. She then fitted Linka, Gi and Ma-ti with monitors and initiated their treatments in turn according to their ages. After the first phase was complete, and Dr. Derek noted which engramatic batches had been copied, she monitored their brain activities both in waking and dormant states. After consulting her records following the first round of treatments, the doctor determined that it would be twelve hours before the second cycle of grafts would begin.

The passing week was a foggy blur for the Planeteers, who lived the lives of cats; eating, bathing, using the toilet, and of course sleeping. By the end of the week, Dr. Derek had finished implanting the memory engrams into the youths' minds; however, the disheartening problem they still carried was the failure of the memories to surface to their conscious minds. As the designated checkout time drew closer, Dr. Derek and her five patients sadly concluded that the grafting was a failure, and that the Planeteers had to cope with their memory loss and do their best to rebuild their memories from scratch. After the release papers had been signed, the amnesiacs began to dress, still weighted with despair that their lives would never be the same again.

"Well, that was a bust," Wheeler commented as he slipped on his red T-shirt, failing to tuck it in as usual.

"Dr. Derek _did _warn us that we might not accept the electronic memories and that we would walk out of here the same as we were when we checked in," Ma-ti reminded his disillusioned Planeteer pal as he donned one of his armbands.

"At lease we have tried." Kwame, who had just slipped into his jacket, took comfort in the fact that he would not have to wonder 'what if' for the rest of his life. ". . . We would never have known otherwise."

"We had better see how the girls are doing," Ma-ti felt the mix of acceptance for the failed experiment and heart break over having to live with the vast void within his head.

"Are you ready to leave yet, Linka?" Gi asked as she stepped into her sneakers and bound the shoelaces.

"Da," Linka said sadly as she pulled her hair back and looped her elastic band around her ponytail.

"Are you okay?" Gi softly prodded, noticing the downcast inflections in the wind Planeteer's voice.

"I had hoped our memories would return. When we lost them, we also lost our cultural background. In my head, I know I am Russian, but I do not feel the cultural pull or the pride over to being Russian. I feel as though I have lost my upbringing and my core values and principles."

But we can relearn most of that."

"It will not be the same."

"I know . . . but there's nothing else we can do about it except start all over again."

The girls' dialogue was abruptly cut short by the rapping of Kwame's knuckles against the door.

"Ready to go home?" he hailed through the door that stood slightly ajar.

"As ready as we'll ever be " Gi answered as she and her roommate exited and filed down the corridor along with the guys.

"So . . . what now?" Wheeler questioned as Kwame pressed the elevator button.

"I guess we will have to return home and go on with our lives, amnesia and all," Ma-ti concluded just before the elevator's pneumatic doors swished open and cleared the way for the youths to board.

The return trip to Hope Island was one of sad silence and deep thought, and everyone thought things could not possibly get any worse. After they landed their Geo-cruiser, they found they had to tell their tale to Gaia. It wasn't the fact that they needed to fill her in that bothered them; it was the reliving and reminding of the heartbreaking setback they dreaded.

"It did not work, Gaia," Linka solemnly said as she, Gi, Wheeler, Kwame, and Ma-ti hooked up with their spirit friend. "Dr. Derek implanted electronic copies of our memories, but nothing seemed to be happening. We went through all of that artificially induced sleep, fuzziness while awake, and confinement to hospital beds only to ending up exactly the same as we were when we gained consciousness on Commander Clash's island."

"I know, Linka," Gaia said softly, "I saw everything on Planetvision."

"I hope you do not feel that we have let you down, Gaia," Ma-ti apologized for the failure that was, by no stretch of the imagination, his and the other Planeteers' fault. "I know you wanted us to recover so that we could-"

"Now you listen to me, Planeteers!" Gaia cut off the South American's unhealthy self talk. "You were willing to do whatever it took to regain your memories, but, for reasons that were not your fault; your minds have not accepted the grafting. I'm very proud of you, my Planeteers; you set out to regain your memories in spite of your fears and knowing the risk that the experiment wouldn't work out. It's that faith and determination that made me choose you to be Planeteers fourteen years ago; and it's that same faith and determination that shows me that you are still ready to go out there and fight for the good of the whole earth. You may have partial amnesia, but the power is still yours."

Gaia's pep talk left the Planeteers speechless. Having no idea what to say or do, so they retired to their huts to resume their personal studies. They knew that the only way to put a proverbial band-aid on their mental gaps was to submerge themselves into their journals, souvenirs, videos, photos, and letters. The only other alternative was to wallow in depression and allow those dark moods to interfere with their duties as eco-heroes, and that was not an acceptable one.

Through his journals, mementos, and letters, Ma-ti learned that his late parents' life's work was the preservation of the rapidly disappearing Amazon rain forests. Although he had no memory of his childhood or his upbringing in such a mysterious and wonderful place, he made a promise to himself and to the parents he no longer knew that he would learn all he could about the forests and what he could do within his own power to slow or even halt the destruction of the irreplaceable environment He had immersed himself in his work when Suchi, the pet spider monkey he no longer remembered, came bounding into the hut wanting to play with his busy master.

"I am sorry, my little friend," Ma-ti shooed the little primate away with his right hand. "I do not have time to play now."

Only thinking of his own present needs, Suchi ignored Ma-ti's words and pounced in his lap, causing him to spill the carton and all of its contents onto the wood floor.

"Now look what you did, Suchi!" the Kayapo reprimanded as he dropped from his chair to the floor and began collecting his papers and keepsakes.

"Ma-ti," Kwame haled as he entered the hut through the common bath to check on the annoyed heart Planeteer, "what is wrong?"

"I am trying to work here; and Suchi made me spill-"Ma-ti suddenly cut off his sentence upon realizing that he had just called this never before seen monkey by name. "How did I know . . . "

We had spent the night here before going to the clinic. Did you not see the little monkey then?"

"Yes, but I did not know he was a pet who had a name. I just thought he lived freely around here."

Looking at the dresser top and catching a glimpse of an old photo of a twelve-year-old Ma-ti hugging Suchi under a palm tree, Kwame felt the boulder of realization hit him right between the eyes, he exclaimed, "Ma-ti, if this picture is right, that monkey is your pet! This could mean . . . "

"But I cannot be remembering something . . . Dr. Derek said that the experiment did not work."

"How else would you suddenly know Suchi's name? It does not matter what Dr. Derek told us at the lab about the experiment failing. I truly think you remembered something. It is possible that we all felt like we were under pressure to regain everything and tried to make ourselves remember while in the clinic. Perhaps your memory of Suchi returned because you were not forcing it. Who knows . . . it may take longer for us to get well than Dr. Derek had originally thought."

Ma-ti sat on the floor with tears in his eyes, for the possibility of regaining his memory had gone from being the impossible dream to the smallest glimmer of hope. He reached over and squeezed the little monkey that was responsible for this traverse from the depths of despair to the heights of happiness. He was overflowing with love for this pet primate, and the two of them sitting there looked as they had in that picture that sat on the dresser.

As time rolled by, Gi, Kwame, Linka, and Ma-ti all began to notice the gradual return of some small memories. Gi's recovery was triggered one morning when she decided to take a dip in the ocean. The memory stemmed from a flashback in which her mother and father first taught her how to swim, and a dolphin came up to join her as she glided through the water. A paperweight shaped like an elephant with its trunk pointing up spurred Kwame into remembering the magnificence of the beasts and the importance of preserving trees and plant life for the sake of both people and animals. In the middle of the night, Linka dreamed that she had witnessed the death of a young blond boy who mattered very much to her, and, with salty drops spilling down her cheeks, she awoke feeling the grief over his loss. She then retrieved a vague memory of having told someone, although she could not put her finger on whom, that the pain of withdrawal was "not as bad as losing Boris". Email exchanges between the Planeteers and Dr. Derek brought the news that recovery was still possible, although it would take much longer for the Planeteers to go back to the way they were before Zarm abducted them and induced their amnesia.

Only Wheeler had yet to regain that first memory that would cause the slow but sure domino effect that would lead to his healing. The others' having made progress just increased the pressure he put on himself to remember something, and the lack of any results caused him to begin losing heart. His four planet-peers told him that he might take longer to take that first step because he was the oldest and that he had more memories to retrieve. This brought no comfort to him, for Kwame and Linka were only one year younger than he was, and they had already begun their recuperation. As time dragged on, the fire was going out in his heart, and he slipped into a state of depression that manifested as increased irritability. He wanted to be happy for his fellow Planeteers' being on the mends, but he could not get past the burden of being the only one who still had not regained one single memory.

One evening after the Planeteers finished their supper, Linka suggested that they have a movie night, and that Wheeler be the one to choose the video that they would play.

"I'm _so _not in the mood to watch the tube tonight," he moped as he grabbed hold of one of the dirty dishes in the sink full of soapy water and began to scrub the food fall-out that stuck to it. "You guys pick one."

"Please don't be like this, Wheeler," Gi tried to coax her friend into giving up this bad mood.

"Don't be like what!" the Pyro-Planeteer vented his frustration and melancholy over his inability to regain his memory. "It ain't easy to be all smiles when you're messed in the head!" His anger caused him to get a little careless with his washing, and he began slopping suds all over the countertop and himself.

"Easy, Wheeler," Ma-ti said in a calming voice as he set aside his towel and gently, yet firmly, seized the older man's arm, "you are getting bubbles all over the place. I know you are upset that you have not been able to regain your memory, but you cannot let this get the better of you. There is still the chance that you will-"

"Yeah, yeah . . . I know . . . I'm older, and it takes longer for old farts like me to heal than it would for munchkins like you guys!" Wheeler rambled on. His bothered state of mind escalated, and he started splashing the dish water out of the sink as he labored to clean more of the plates.

"Wheeler," Linka stepped around the counter, placed herself between the irritated man and the sink, and wrapped her hands around his wrists, "please letting me to finish this for you."

Wheeler let out an audible sigh that denoted his mood, took two paces back, and shot Linka a look as if to say 'As if taking over my chores will solve everything.' He then shed the barbecue apron he had been wearing and thrust it into linka's hands. As he stalked out toward his hut, he could be heard grumbling, "This memory thing really sucks! They say it'll come back . . . NOT! I can't believe I'm gonna be like this for the rest of my life!" The slamming of the front door sharply signaled the others that Wheeler had left the building.

Feeling as though he would explode at any moment, Wheeler stomped into his hut and locked himself inside. He knew his collected emotions were about to overflow and rob him of his self control, so he had to find a place to lie down. The setting sun streamed through the bathroom window and threw a patch of sunlight onto the bed. Not wanting anyone to see him in that square spotlight, he slammed the bathroom door shut and drew the window shade next to his night stand. He then flopped onto the bed and did something he would not let the others catch him doing – crying quietly into his hands.

"I wish there was something we can do to help Wheeler," Ma-ti somberly made his opinion known as he dried a bowl that Linka had just rinsed. "His memory still has not returned, and he gets more and more upset every day. If he loses heart completely, I do not want to think what will happen to him."

""You know he does not believe us when we try to explain why his memories have not returned," Kwame pointed out as he wiped the table with a sponge that had been dipped in white vinegar.

"That's because your explanations aren't what he needs to hear," Gaia appeared in the room, making her mind up to give the convalescing amnesiacs a much needed taste of reality. "I realize your intensions are good, Planeteers, but you're not equipped to guide him through this. It would be like asking legal advice from an illiterate person who has seen two or three courtroom TV programs. Telling him that it would take longer to get well because of his age . . . That explanation is too simplistic and inaccurate to do him any good in his present condition."

"But what do we do?" Linka asked as she drained the double sink and dried her hands with her apron, "we cannot just leave him like this."

"You're right, Linka, "Gaia agreed with the blonde. "I think I can help him get out of this mood and stop putting pressure on himself to wring out some memories. I'm the only one here who has a full memory of what he's like . . . from a tough runaway from Brooklyn to a young Planeteer with a bright future. I think I may know how to get him to relax and let nature take its course."

Wheeler lay on his bed with his pillow in his arms and hot tears streaming down his cheeks. He grew more and more certain that he would never get better, and the fears of having a permanent condition blotted out even the smallest rays of sunshine.

"Wheeler . . . "Gaia faded in and rested a soft hand on his shoulder.

"How did you get in here?" he queried as he crawled into a sitting position and looked to the dark woman through swollen blue eyes. "I locked the door when I . . . "

"You'd be surprised at what a spirit can do when she puts her mind to it," was Gaia's reply. "Wheeler, we have to talk . . . I know you have been blowing up at the other Planeteers; and, frankly, it has me very concerned. You're only going to destroy yourself if you stay in this mood."

"So I'm supposed to just forget that I can't get over this amnesia thing and have no memory of myself for the rest of my life!" Wheeler shot back defensively.

"Maybe you're not getting any better because you're trying too hard to force your memory to the surface-"

"Oh, I suppose it's gonna come back by magic!" he interrupted.

"That's one way of looking at it." Gaia patiently let the youth's comments roll off her back.

"Whatter you talkin' about?"

"I want you to do me a favor and play me your September 11th tribute tape."

"Not that again," he sighed. The last time I played it, I had a nightmare some aliens made me watch 'em blow up the earth."

"You don't have to watch the whole thing . . . just one sequence . . . the one where you talk about the tragedy leading many people to churches and a relationship with God. Please play it, Wheeler."

With no idea what to do next, Wheeler pulled his tribute from its place on the shelf and fed it into his TV/VCR combo. He then fast forwarded the film until he saw the scenes of worship services and church activities. He rewound the images just enough that he would be able to see the spiritual scenes in their entirety. When the scene had played and faded to the next one, Wheeler ejected the tape and slipped it back into its case.

"I don't get it . . . What's it gotta do with me?" he wanted to know as he returned the tape to its resting place and turned off the TV.

"You said in the movie that many people wanted to know why the United States was attacked, and that they sought peace and comfort in churches. You noted some Bible passages that I feel are just as appropriate for you now as they had been when you were still getting through the trauma of those attacks." She raised her left hand and gestured to the red, hardcover Bible that sat on Wheeler's desk next to his computer. "Maybe you need to get back into your daily devotionals."

"What's the use?" he protested with the shake of the head,"I don't remember any of that anymore. I dono if I believed in that stuff before I got amnesia, and I dono if I'll catch onto it now."

"I think you should look at this . . . "Gaia showed her doubting companion a framed certificate that hung on the wall over his dresser. "I'll bet you haven't noticed this since your memory loss . . . "

"Baptized?" he gasped as he read the fancy font that adorned the white page. ". . . but isn't that what they do when you're a baby?"

"Sometimes . . . "

"Then someone musta made a mondo typo. The date on here says Sunday, February 24, 2002 . . . and I know I'm not two years old."

"You were baptized as an adult not long after you made that video. After the collapse of the World Trade Center, you began to seek comfort in prayer and the Bible, and you accepted Christianity that winter."

"But what does that have to do with the fact that I'm the only one who hasn't gotten any of my memory back?" Wheeler grew more confused at the unfolding of each detail.

"Perhaps you're not recovering because your faith says you need to lean on God and count on Him to show you what you need to do in order to regain your memory. The other Planeteers haven't embraced Jesus Christ, so it's possible that God doesn't expect them to come to Him and ask him to help them recover, so He had to start their healing for them."

"It doesn't seem fair . . . If I believe in Jesus Christ; shouldn't God have given me my memory back twice as fast as the others'?"

"I think He's counting on you to come to Him in prayer, and He will give you back your memories at the exact moment you need them. I realize all of this is confusing to you, but you must believe me when I tell you that the answers you're looking for are right there in your Bible." With that, she indicated the book once more before disappearing from the room.

After swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, Wheeler collected his Bible and curled up in his beanbag chair. He leafed through the thin pages that were littered with not only the marginal notes that had been scribbled in his own difficult to read handwriting, but some that appeared in a scrawl that he did not recognize at all. Had this Bible been given to him as a gift? He had trouble understanding the relevance of the Word as he had the first time he picked up the Good Book, but when his eyes fell upon John, chapter 8, verse 32, he found himself reading that verse over and over; all the time wondering just what was it about that scripture that attracted him.

"And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. . . And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free . . . And you will know the truth . . . and the truth will set . . . you free. . . . the truth . . . Could that be why I got that feeling about Zarm and knew he was no good?" Without any prior warning, Wheeler felt a burst of realization hit him right in the face, and he sat wide eyed as he mused aloud, ". . . If I hadn't picked up on Zarm's being bad news . . . we all could 'ave been suckered into . . . possibly destroying the earth!"

Some of the notes that were scribbled in the back inside cover of the Bible indicated that Psalms was a book that provided many different forms of assurance, so Wheeler immediately looked up the passages. A couple of verses that looked vaguely familiar to him caught his eye, and he read them out loud. "He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber . . ." Psalm 121:3.

Suddenly the deep feeling of loneliness and despair started to evaporate as a billow of steam does from a boiling pot whose lid had been removed. This verse promised that Wheeler had a Heavenly Father who loved him unconditionally and would never leave him no matter what.

Another verse from Psalms seemed to jump off the pages and stare the fire Planeteer in the eyes, for it seemed to be a perfect one for him while he dealt with his religious exploration as well as his memory problem. An odd feeling of comfort swept over the redhead, for he quickly realized he had the company of a spiritual being that loved him very much and was ready to protect and take care of him – just as soon as he asked Him to.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

Psalm 145:18.

The curious sensations that enveloped Wheeler seemed overwhelming, and he briefly wondered if he had actually retrieved a memory. Unluckily, he soon realized that he had quoted those same scriptures on his tribute tape. Refusing to let himself be thrown back into the caverns of despondency, he searched his room for a distraction that would lift his spirits. He turned his head and caught sight of an audio CD and a video tape he had not played before. Reactivating his TV/Vcr, Wheeler slipped the cassette into the slot and stood frozen at the sight that played out on the small screen. While a worship band softly played "I Will Never Be the Same Again" in the background a barefoot Wheeler, clad in a white dress shirt and nice, dark blue pants, crossed a stage and stepped into a tub of some sort and sat on a stool that was submerged under the water. A pastor wrapped an arm around him and announced, "Jesse Nicholas Wheeler, have you accepted Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior?" Upon seeing Wheeler's nod, the pastor continued while Wheeler prepared for his dunking by holding his nose, ". . . Then I baptize you in the name of The Father, The Son, and The holy Spirit . . . " As Wheeler went under the water and then popped up again, the pastor concluded, "Buried in sin . . . now raised to walk again in newness with the lord!" A loud crash of applause drowned out all sounds, and a soaking wet Wheeler climbed out of the tub with tears of joy in his eyes and a smile curving his lips.

That was all Wheeler could see, for tears of sentiment welled up in his eyes, causing them to sting and blurring his vision. He stopped the tape and turned off the TV before depositing the CD into his stereo. A short message neatly written on the inside of the jewel case indicated that the music compilation was a gift from the church in which he had his baptism. As the lovely music floated through the hut, Wheeler found himself drawn back to the Bible that sat with its pages wide open on top of the beanbag chair.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." He repeated the words of Psalm 145:18 with a quiver in his voice. Filled with an urge that poured down over him like a tidal wave, he snapped the Bible closed and bolted for the beach. With the crisp night wind flowing through his hair, he stood at the high tide line and looked to the stars.

"Hey, God, are you there? The Bible says that You're close to anyone who comes to you in truth . . . "Wheeler began his impromptu prayer, "well I need you here now. I don't understand what's goin' on here . . . Did I do somethin' wrong? Is that why the other Planeteers are getting' better and I'm not? The Bible says you know everything . . . Maybe you can tell me why I'm not getting' my memory back. Is this some kinda punishment? Am I supposed to get over this, or am I gonna be this way forever? I don't wanna be this way forever! I want my memory back! The doc couldn't do it; I can't do it; and if the Bible is right and you can do impossible things, I need You to do it for me."

"What is he doing?" Ma-ti whispered as he and Gaia strode along the beach and noticed a strange sight in the distance - Wheeler's engaging a dialogue with another being that could not be seen by the naked eye.

"I think he's praying, Ma-ti," the female spirit answered as she turned and indicated that she and her South American walking partner should stroll elsewhere and not disturb Wheeler. He needs to work out all his feelings if he wants to get into a better mental state and possibly regain his memory."

As Ma-ti and Gaia turned and headed off in a different direction, Wheeler continued his prayer as hot teardrops welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. "Please Gimme back my memory . . . and if you aren't gonna do that, do you think you can change my mind so I won't care if I get it back or not? I just don't wanna feel like this anymore." With that, he broke into tears, ran back to his hut, and immediately went to bed.

The night seemed to have been and gone in the blink of an eye, and Wheeler woke only to find he had overslept because he neglected to set his alarm clock. After showering, shaving and doing his other early morning rituals, he hurriedly dressed and snatched his wristwatch from its place on the night stand. When the digital readout showed on the clock's tiny face, he froze, staring at it with wide eyes, his heart pounding so hard it felt as though it would burst. For some odd reason, the time, 8:46 a.m. held some incomparable significance.

"8:46 . . . Something happened at 8:46 . . . something bad . . . "He began to walk the floor, and he labored ardently to figure out just what was bugging him. "September11th! It has to do with September 11th! Could that be when they crashed those planes into the World Trade Center?" Instantly, he consulted his video, all emails he had saved since September 11th, and any other letters, notes or journal entries he could find concerning the attacks. He had just finished looking for relevant documents on his computer when someone knocked on the door. "It's open!" he called out as he pushed his heel along the floor and rolled himself back from his desk.

"Wheeler, you are finally awake," Linka commented as she stepped into the hut and approached her American friend. "We had our breakfast an hour ago, and we have some sausage and biscuits on the stove for you."

"I musta lost track o' time," he reasoned, pushing his chair back to its place under the desk.

"What have you been to doing?"

"When I checked the time this morning, I got this weird feeling, and . . . something told me that the time had to do with when they attacked my country. I haven't found anything that talked about both 8:46 and September 11th at the same time. I checked my video . . . the one that made me have that nightmare where the world exploded . . . and I looked at everything that I wrote or saved on the computer . . . none of that stuff connects the time and date. It hit me that 8:46 in the morning was when the terrorists crashed the airplanes into the World Trade Center; killing . . . "A deafening silence filled the room and lingered for several seconds before an awestruck Wheeler finished his sentence. "Killing my aunt and my best friend!" Another heavy pause wafted down and covered the room with its thick blanket of deja vous. "How did I know that? None o' my letters or the video said anything about . . . me losing an aunt or friend . . . "

After picking up an overlooked letter that had fallen onto the floor between Wheeler's computer desk and his night stand, Linka quickly and silently read it; then she said, "Did you seeing this one?"

"Where did that come from? I thought I read 'em all."

"Bozhe moy! Wheeler do you realize what you have done? If you did not read this letter, you may have regained a memory!"

"Lemme see that . . . "Wheeler pulled the letter from the blonde's hands, studied it carefully, and then dropped to his knees to say a silent prayer of gratitude. After a moment, he stumbled to his feet and looked to Linka with tear-filled blue eyes. "God's gonna gimme my memory back. Gaia was right . . . All I had to do was ask God to give it back, and He did."

At a complete loss for words, Linka and Wheeler threw their arms around one another and hugged so tightly that they thought they would pop each other. The return of Wheeler's first memory marked the addition to the final ingredient in the Planeteers' recipe for recovery. It would take several months for the young adults' memories to return to normal. Once the healing was finally complete, the Planeteers carried the additional experiences of having had partial amnesia with them for the rest of their lives; and those memories only gave additional character and inner strength to the young champions of the planet.


End file.
